PCOM-GA Discussion Thread 2011-2012

BU Medical Sciences
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rjelalam said:
Does anyone know what the coverage must be for an outside health insurance plan to be approved in place of the student insurance through the school?? I am in a situation where I have to find new insurance quick and I need to see if Tricare is OK to enroll in. Thanks!
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It only states this on Nucleus: "It is a requirement that all students be covered under a comprehensive medical insurance plan, either through our student group policy or a comparable private health insurance plan, which may include dependent coverage under a spouse or parent’s plan. Although the College does not require students enroll in the PCOM student plan, the college does require that the student’s health insurance plan is comprehensive and include medical (office-visits) and hospitalization."
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Can anyone comment on driving from Marietta? My dad has a house my husband and I can live in for free, which would be awesome, just not sure if the pros outweigh the cons
 
Not super familiar with too much of ATL, but I have a friend who lives in Marietta (not in school anywhere) who said he wouldn't mess with it unless he had to (his opinion of course). My take is that a few bucks more here or there will not matter long-term but every minute spent driving is a minute of my life wasted. Anything - eating, sleeping, lifting, studying - anything, is better than sitting in a car (my opinion of course).
 
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rjelalam said:
Can anyone comment on driving from Marietta? My dad has a house my husband and I can live in for free, which would be awesome, just not sure if the pros outweigh the cons
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We have a few students in my class that live in Atlanta...and 1 that I know of in the first year class that lives in Marietta. It's doable. However, they had schedule their lab study time (1st term of 1st year) a little different than the rest of us. Also, there are a few days where you may have breaks and not want to hang around, but will have to since you're living far away. I lived in Buckhead for the first month or so of 1st year. My drive was only 30-45min everyday (depending on traffic) and I hated it. I like being close and having a short commute. Taking 2 hours out of your day to drive doesn't seem like a big deal, but time is a commodity in short supply in med school.

It really comes down to how disciplined you are and if you're good with time management. One of the folks in my class drives and hour and back everyday and he's in the top of the class. Assess your own situation and determine whether or not you think you can do it. I think it just depends on the type of student.
 
Unless he is against renting out the "free" house, why not rent that one to someone else and use the proceeds to rent another house closer? I'm sure he would prefer you and your husband rent his house though.
 
Are there any known "bugs" in the Georgia location - i.e. any teething pains, problems with rotations, students per cadaver, weaknesses in the quality of faculty, poor match results, or any other known issues? Anything you wish they had but don't? Thanks for your input.
 
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Would it be inappropriate to get a stetho engraved "Dr. First Last"? I don't want to misplace it/someone steal it.
 
Dr or Bust dr said:
Are there any known "bugs" in the Georgia location - i.e. any teething pains, problems with rotations, students per cadaver, weaknesses in the quality of faculty, poor match results, or any other known issues? Anything you wish they had but don't? Thanks for your input.
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I like it here. One very strong point is the student/cadaver ratio. It's better here than any other school that I visited. There's going to be something to complain about no matter where you are, but overall I like it here and I'm happy with my decision.
 
rjelalam said:
Would it be inappropriate to get a stetho engraved "Dr. First Last"? I don't want to misplace it/someone steal it.
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Not at all, those things are expensive and it would behoove you to protect what is yours. I would even go so far as saying it will help you stand out both in practicals and on rotations.

Technically youre not a Dr. yet but dont let those naysayers get to you. I've got Dr. on my white coat already and have even changed my title on bills and such. Its nice commanding that extra bit of respect even if I havent fully earned it yet.
 
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Jayscin said:
I like it here. One very strong point is the student/cadaver ratio. It's better here than any other school that I visited. There's going to be something to complain about no matter where you are, but overall I like it here and I'm happy with my decision.
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Fantastic. Thank you so much for answering my question, and quickly to boot. I'm KY also, by the way. Beta Delta Chapter. Very cool.
 
rjelalam said:
Would it be inappropriate to get a stetho engraved "Dr. First Last"? I don't want to misplace it/someone steal it.
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As long as you realize that engraving will do nothing to prevent misplacement and about as much to prevent theft then there is nothing inappropriate about it. You could paint it yellow, write your name on it in your own blood and tie it to your ankle but if someone decides they are going to take it then they are going to take it. There is a small chance it'll help it get back to you, but in the bigger hospitals (or at least ours) the vast majority of staff don't pay much attention to students or even know their names, so YMMV.
 
I was disappointed to find out Emory does not allow DO students to rotate there for electives. I know I would want to rotate locally through anesthesia and some pediatric surgery specialties. Does anyone know if this is possible? If so, where?
 
Anyone have a list of rotation sites? All I can find online is one for Philly.
 
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studiddy said:
As long as you realize that engraving will do nothing to prevent misplacement and about as much to prevent theft then there is nothing inappropriate about it. You could paint it yellow, write your name on it in your own blood and tie it to your ankle but if someone decides they are going to take it then they are going to take it. There is a small chance it'll help it get back to you, but in the bigger hospitals (or at least ours) the vast majority of staff don't pay much attention to students or even know their names, so YMMV.
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I was in no way being serious about my previous post. Get your name engraved if you really want to, but if someone wants to steal it, they wont be deterred by an engraving anymore than they would be by a plastic name tag. Please dont get Dr. Such and Such on anything yet. Thats absurd.
 
I was interviewed by Dr. Mitchell, D.O., and I'm trying to send him a thank you card, but I can't remember his first name. With how nerve-racking interviews can be, I completely forgot to write down his first name!

Does anybody know his first name? He's not listed on the website. Thanks in advance.
 
Just gotu getting started binder!!!! Super exciting and lots of info!
 
Hi everyone, congratulations on your acceptances! I have 2900 sq ft, 4b/3.5b beautiful hardwood floor house available July 2012 for rent. It is located in Suwanee & is only a 15 min drive (at the most) to GA-PCOM. Master b/b + attached sitting room $550, bed/bath #2 $475, bed 3 & 4 shared bath $400 (each). Please email [email protected] for additional info & pics, thanks!
 
I know I am a little behind everyone in this thread, but I just got my acceptance letter today!! :) Congrats to everyone else! I am so excited to meet you all!
 
sirfidel1852 said:
I know I am a little behind everyone in this thread, but I just got my acceptance letter today!! :) Congrats to everyone else! I am so excited to meet you all!
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Congrats! Do you mind saying which date you interviewed on? I heard that the decision letters have been a little backed up lately.
 
TeeHeHe said:
Congrats! Do you mind saying which date you interviewed on? I heard that the decision letters have been a little backed up lately.
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I interviewed last Tuesday the 17th and my letter was postmarked the 20th!
 
Interviewed today and hoping for some good news soon; congrats to everyone who has already gotten accepted!
 
Hey guys! Anyone else interview on Feb 7th? I realize most SDNers have already interviewed, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I am really excited about PCOM-GA because I live two hours away (Birmingham) and I went to Emory for undergraduate. Love Atlanta.
 
Bham said:
Hey guys! Anyone else interview on Feb 7th? I realize most SDNers have already interviewed, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I am really excited about PCOM-GA because I live two hours away (Birmingham) and I went to Emory for undergraduate. Love Atlanta.
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Good luck! The interviews are very low stress so no pressure. I would suggest having some questions ready though since the interview can go pretty quick. :)
 
Does anyone know how often & what day of the week the admissions committee meets?
 
Bham said:
Hey guys! Anyone else interview on Feb 7th? I realize most SDNers have already interviewed, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I am really excited about PCOM-GA because I live two hours away (Birmingham) and I went to Emory for undergraduate. Love Atlanta.
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ill be there on the 7th
 
organicchem said:
Does anyone know how often & what day of the week the admissions committee meets?
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It seems to be every two weeks and, based on what has been said in this thread, it appears they met last around the 20th. So if that's accurate, the next batch of decision letters should go out in early Feb.
 
@ TeeHeHe - Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to have some questions prepared. I h ave been working on my "Tell us about yourself" response, as it seems to be what trips me up most in my past interviews...

@Tenndoc - Cool! Good to know. I was accepted at KYCOM as well :) Still waiting to hear from DCOM. My name is Brandon so look for me on interview day!

Also, I have a question for those of you who attend the school or perhaps those who have visited/interviewed. I have noticed that almost everyone who is accepted says that they are definitely attending or that PCOM is their #1 choice in DO schools. What was it that drew you to PCOM-GA and what are some of the highlights for those that attend now?

For me, location is a big thing because Atlanta is only two hours from my family/girlfriend. Also, having done my undergrad in Atlanta, I am already familiar with and like the area. PCOM's reputation is another factor in my interest. Thanks for any info!
 
Bham said:
@ TeeHeHe - Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to have some questions prepared. I h ave been working on my "Tell us about yourself" response, as it seems to be what trips me up most in my past interviews...

@Tenndoc - Cool! Good to know. I was accepted at KYCOM as well :) Still waiting to hear from DCOM. My name is Brandon so look for me on interview day!

Also, I have a question for those of you who attend the school or perhaps those who have visited/interviewed. I have noticed that almost everyone who is accepted says that they are definitely attending or that PCOM is their #1 choice in DO schools. What was it that drew you to PCOM-GA and what are some of the highlights for those that attend now?

For me, location is a big thing because Atlanta is only two hours from my family/girlfriend. Also, having done my undergrad in Atlanta, I am already familiar with and like the area. PCOM's reputation is another factor in my interest. Thanks for any info!
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I love the location also! It's really close to my family too. The school is really nice and I like that is on the smaller side so it seems like a tight community. From what I hear, everyone really likes the staff and says they are very helpful and friendly. Also since it is small, the different programs get to intermingle for their events like their formal. I have also heard the student:cadaver ratio is lower than average so that will be nice! The lecture rooms have recording systems so all lectures are uploaded online which include the ppt slides so you can see what the professor is looking at while he is talking. I think that is awesome for if you miss class for some reason or for just reviewing in case you miss a concept or something. They talked about all of that during my tour on my interview! I went on a tour last summer too, so that is when I heard everything for the first time so the interview tour was really just affirmation that it was the school for me :)
 
Bham said:
Also, I have a question for those of you who attend the school or perhaps those who have visited/interviewed. I have noticed that almost everyone who is accepted says that they are definitely attending or that PCOM is their #1 choice in DO schools. What was it that drew you to PCOM-GA and what are some of the highlights for those that attend now?
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I liked the size. I like being able to know everyone in the class and most of the fac/staff on campus. One of the strong points here is def our OMM dept. It's more difficult here than a lot of other schools, but our students do very well on the OMM portion of boards. In addition, coming here allowed my family to stay closer to my parents and my in-laws at least for a couple more years so they get to see grandkids.

Overall, I'm happy with my decision to come here.....even tho on some days it's difficult to be happy about anything <-----------------this is just part of med school, haha.
 
Hey I went to Emory too (c/o '10)! Good luck!

I've encountered a few setbacks, but I think everything should be looking up very soon! :)

Bham said:
Hey guys! Anyone else interview on Feb 7th? I realize most SDNers have already interviewed, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I am really excited about PCOM-GA because I live two hours away (Birmingham) and I went to Emory for undergraduate. Love Atlanta.
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Thanks for all of the input, ladies and gents. I probably should have toured beforehand just because it is so close, but alas I did not. I would like a small community feel and the location is huge for me. Is it bad juju to tell interviewers that one of your main reasons is location for family reasons? Obviously I would slip in some school-specific things as well.

Mtromer13, keep your head up. It's a tough road for sure. I was class of '07; I'm an old man! Strangely enough I was writing this, they offered to move my interview to tomorrow, but I don't think I can because of work. Ah well, more time to prep.
 
Bham said:
Is it bad juju to tell interviewers that one of your main reasons is location for family reasons? Obviously I would slip in some school-specific things as well.
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I think it's fine to mention it.....just make sure it's not your only reason. It was one of my main reasons for initially looking at this school. They look for folks with ties to the southeast.
 
Hi everyone, I had my interview last year but I can't remember, is there a gym on campus? Stupid question but it just popped into my head. Thanks!!
 
HtcpKFC said:
Hi everyone, I had my interview last year but I can't remember, is there a gym on campus? Stupid question but it just popped into my head. Thanks!!
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Yeah, there's a gym on campus. It has the general equipment you would expect (a few weight machines, treadmills, free weights, elliptical, etc). There are a couple TVs on the wall and a decent locker room with showers that are usually clean.
 
Jayscin said:
Yeah, there's a gym on campus. It has the general equipment you would expect (a few weight machines, treadmills, free weights, elliptical, etc). There are a couple TVs on the wall and a decent locker room with showers that are usually clean.
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How have you liked GA-PCOM in general?
 
TeeHeHe said:
How have you liked GA-PCOM in general?
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I've enjoyed it. Med school is tough no matter where you are so students will always have complaints. I like that the school is a small community. It's nice to know everyone from security guards to faculty to staff when you walk around the building. I think there have certainly been some growing pains with the campus, but I think different improvements are always being made.
I think I'm most satisfied with two points that were important to me coming in: anatomy and OMM. Our anatomy lab is awesome. Our student to cadaver ratio is better than any other school I've visited and you get really good exposure to clinical correlates while in the lab. In addition, the TA staff hold mock practicals a couple of days prior to your actual practicals to give you an assessment of your command of the information that will be tested....this experience is really valuable!
With respect to OMM, Dr E is one of the most respected and proficient OMM practitioners in the country. He's hard as hell, but our students consistently perform very well on the OMM portion of the COMLEX. OMM takes significantly more time and effort at GA-PCOM than at many other school, but I think it's worth it. OMM reinforces many other things you learn throughout the curriculum...especially anatomy!
 
I also agree that it is fine to mention this. In fact, I think it's a plus because the school's purpose is to increase DOs in the southeast, especially GA. If you have family there, you are more likely to stay and practice there. So I think it helps...of course, definitely be sure to have other reasons. I agree with you that the community feel of the school is a huge plus.

Bham said:
Is it bad juju to tell interviewers that one of your main reasons is location for family reasons? Obviously I would slip in some school-specific things as well.
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Thanks for taking the time to type this out! Very helpful!
Jayscin said:
I've enjoyed it. Med school is tough no matter where you are so students will always have complaints. I like that the school is a small community. It's nice to know everyone from security guards to faculty to staff when you walk around the building. I think there have certainly been some growing pains with the campus, but I think different improvements are always being made.
I think I'm most satisfied with two points that were important to me coming in: anatomy and OMM. Our anatomy lab is awesome. Our student to cadaver ratio is better than any other school I've visited and you get really good exposure to clinical correlates while in the lab. In addition, the TA staff hold mock practicals a couple of days prior to your actual practicals to give you an assessment of your command of the information that will be tested....this experience is really valuable!
With respect to OMM, Dr E is one of the most respected and proficient OMM practitioners in the country. He's hard as hell, but our students consistently perform very well on the OMM portion of the COMLEX. OMM takes significantly more time and effort at GA-PCOM than at many other school, but I think it's worth it. OMM reinforces many other things you learn throughout the curriculum...especially anatomy!
Click to expand...
 
Jayscin said:
I've enjoyed it. Med school is tough no matter where you are so students will always have complaints. I like that the school is a small community. It's nice to know everyone from security guards to faculty to staff when you walk around the building. I think there have certainly been some growing pains with the campus, but I think different improvements are always being made.
I think I'm most satisfied with two points that were important to me coming in: anatomy and OMM. Our anatomy lab is awesome. Our student to cadaver ratio is better than any other school I've visited and you get really good exposure to clinical correlates while in the lab. In addition, the TA staff hold mock practicals a couple of days prior to your actual practicals to give you an assessment of your command of the information that will be tested....this experience is really valuable!
With respect to OMM, Dr E is one of the most respected and proficient OMM practitioners in the country. He's hard as hell, but our students consistently perform very well on the OMM portion of the COMLEX. OMM takes significantly more time and effort at GA-PCOM than at many other school, but I think it's worth it. OMM reinforces many other things you learn throughout the curriculum...especially anatomy!
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Thanks for the write up. Every GA-PCOM student I talk to seems to be having an overall positive experience there. Is there anything you wish you had known before starting, or any advice for the incoming C/O 2016?
 
I have an interview for 27 February but I am supposed to be serving on a jury during that week. How flexible are the interview dates? I know I can probably beg the judge to leg me serve a different week but rescheduling the interview to a week earlier would be ideal.
My finance is in the PharmD program so I've seen the campus several times and already met with one of the admissions officers.
This school is my first choice because it is hard to live 7 hours away from your finance. I don't want to go crazy telling them that I would withdraw my other applications/interviews/acceptances in a heartbeat if I was accepted to PCOM GA. However, it is the truth.

So any advice about rescheduling interviews?
Should I outright tell my interviewers that the school is my top choice?
Are the interviews blind or partially blind (my fiance's interview was partially blind, the interviewers only had his essays but not his transcript. I really hope the DO interviews are the same as PharmD.)
I generally avoid SDN because I get too nervous reading about rejections and accceptances but I'm trusting you guys.
 
From my experience, they are flexible with changing dates. As far as what they have access to, not sure bc we talked for 8 minutes about my ties to atl and the south and how it was my #1 and that was it. I think the things you mentioned above are things they would like to hear, I would email Trena. She's awesome! Good luck!
 
TeeHeHe said:
Thanks for the write up. Every GA-PCOM student I talk to seems to be having an overall positive experience there. Is there anything you wish you had known before starting, or any advice for the incoming C/O 2016?
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Yeah, there are always things you wish you would've known before you started. I think it's different for each class. Most of my issues are just helpful academic resources that assist with lectures. For instance, I think one area where are students need outside resources is pathology. Several students ahead of me made a few recommendations, but I found that they didn't really help until second year....so I had to kind of flounder around until I found what really worked. With that being said, I think it's different for every student. Many issues change as this is a growing campus so some of the issues I have, you won't have, and many other issues will be created just for you. :)
 
just got the thick white envelope in the mail....PCOM 2016...
 
Just arrived at my hotel after barely dodging Atlanta rush hour traffic... It feels good to be back in the area, minus the notorious gridlock. Pretty stoked about the interview tomorrow, especially because PCOM-GA is my #1. Sucks because I have a scheduled interview on the 10th and on the 13th, both requiring flying, and I doubt I will hear back before either :( Oh well, time to hit up some Outback!
 
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