Philadelphia COM - Philadelphia (PCOM) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

[Phantom0009]

Can anyone please explain the anatomy lab here at PCOM and how it is organized? Is it prosected? How many students per group, etc.? Thanks!

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[BIOGUY2119]

This waiting game is torture! I interviewed 10/9, hoping for some good news w/in the next week. PCOM is my number 1!

 

[vegaroll]

Can anyone please explain the anatomy lab here at PCOM and how it is organized? Is it prosected? How many students per group, etc.? Thanks!

We were told at the interview that the students dissect their cadavers. There are a couple prosecuted to show what youre supposed to do. There are six students per cadaver.

 

[Tradewinds]

Hi All! I'm really interested in PCOM but on their website they say the admissions committee recommends >8 on all sections of the MCAT....I have a 7/11/10 (28), should I bother sending in an app? Anyone get any interest from them with a 7 subsection score?

 

[CharmanderMD]

Hi All! I'm really interested in PCOM but on their website they say the admissions committee recommends >8 on all sections of the MCAT....I have a 7/11/10 (28), should I bother sending in an app? Anyone get any interest from them with a 7 subsection score?

I got in with a 7 subsection.

 

[NPSperl0863]

Anyone know how to update MCAT scores? My online status still has the date from my first take. Do we just email them?

 

[tennant]

Anyone know how to update MCAT scores? My online status still has the date from my first take. Do we just email them?

I'm pretty sure once you release your scores they will update automatically.

 

[CanIdoIt?]

you have to send them direct through mcat

 

[JVB1216]

Hi all! I'm wondering if anyone else here applied to both campuses and received a complete e-mail from one and not the other?
I sent in the money September 27th, and completed the secondary Sept 29th. I received an e-mail saying my application was complete from the Georgia campus on October 3rd, but have not heard anything from Philly yet. Is this possibly just due to the larger volume of applicants for the Philly campus?

Thanks!

 

[kabead]

Hi all! I'm wondering if anyone else here applied to both campuses and received a complete e-mail from one and not the other?
I sent in the money September 27th, and completed the secondary Sept 29th. I received an e-mail saying my application was complete from the Georgia campus on October 3rd, but have not heard anything from Philly yet. Is this possibly just due to the larger volume of applicants for the Philly campus?

Thanks!

I never got a "complete" email, but I did receive emails from both that my supplementary application has been processed from both campuses. I also received them at different dates if that helps at all

 

[Camerla]

Any updates on IIs? I'm wondering what's the general turn around time from complete to II at this point in the cycle.

 

[JVB1216]

I never got a "complete" email, but I did receive emails from both that my supplementary application has been processed from both campuses. I also received them at different dates if that helps at all

how far apart did you receive the two e-mails?

Thanks for the response!

 

[kabead]

how far apart did you receive the two e-mails?

Thanks for the response!

5 days no problem

 

[Moose A Moose]

Any updates on IIs? I'm wondering what's the general turn around time from complete to II at this point in the cycle.

Varies depending on what the adcoms are looking for. Could be anything from a couple weeks to a couple months. Sit tight.

 

[Camerla]

Varies depending on what the adcoms are looking for. Could be anything from a couple weeks to a couple months. Sit tight.

Thanks! Just submitted (a little late, I know) and hope to hear something soon. I wish I could be a fly on the wall in those ADCOM meetings

 

[a_p1092]

Anyone complete in mid-August still waiting to here back? Complete 2nd week of August, sGPA 3.58, cGPA 3.60, MCAT 9/10/11 (30), good ECs, instate... Still nothing

In the words of Iggy... "I loved you so much and now I just hate you"

 

[HippocratesHRC]

Anyone complete in mid-August still waiting to here back? Complete 2nd week of August, sGPA 3.58, cGPA 3.60, MCAT 9/10/11 (30), good ECs, instate... Still nothing

In the words of Iggy... "I loved you so much and now I just hate you"

Similar stats, submitted in early August all materials in by mid August. Nothing.

 

[osteohack10]

Anyone complete in mid-August still waiting to here back? Complete 2nd week of August, sGPA 3.58, cGPA 3.60, MCAT 9/10/11 (30), good ECs, instate... Still nothing

In the words of Iggy... "I loved you so much and now I just hate you"

Similar stats, submitted in early August all materials in by mid August. Nothing.

I was complete end of July and just got an II on 10/8.

 

[HakunaMatt]

I was complete end of July and just got an II on 10/8.

Wow. It takes 3 months-ish to send out an II? haha. I guess I'm not gonna hear back till the Spring.

 

[Oncotic]

Wow. It takes 3 months-ish to send out an II? haha. I guess I'm not gonna hear back till the Spring.

I got my interview invite in less than 3 weeks. I believe it is a combination of luck and a strong application that determines how fast you get your interview invite.

 

[MintLiminal]

I was complete end of July and just got an II on 10/8.

Yea I completed early September and still waiting.

 

[HakunaMatt]

I got my interview invite in less than 3 weeks. I believe it is a combination of luck and a strong application that determines how fast you get your interview invite.

What are your stats if you don't mind me asking?

 

[ah24m]

I can confirm that PCOM will confirm reception of your deposit in the PCOM portal - the same place where you checked the status of your secondary application --> My status was updated just today

 

[yocharlie]

I can confirm that PCOM will confirm reception of your deposit in the PCOM portal - the same place where you checked the status of your secondary application --> My status was updated just today

How long after submitting the secondary did you get your portal login?

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

I can confirm that PCOM will confirm reception of your deposit in the PCOM portal - the same place where you checked the status of your secondary application --> My status was updated just today

Says app fee right? Does your portal say if your complete or not? Mine says I have everything but I got an incomplete email

 

[Oncotic]

What are your stats if you don't mind me asking?

3.33 cGPA, 34 MCAT.

 

[Cognizant]

So, I have an interview for the 5th of November. It looks like it is only 4 hours long, so what should I be expecting? Also, a noon start is different as well. Thanks.

 

[drpercivalcox]

Has anyone who interviewed 9/29 heard anything yet?

 

[futurexray]

I got my interview invite in less than 3 weeks. I believe it is a combination of luck and a strong application that determines how fast you get your interview invite.

And what they are looking for at the time - GPA, MCAT, legacy, in state, out of state, etc

Says app fee right? Does your portal say if your complete or not? Mine says I have everything but I got an incomplete email

Then you do not have everything. I thought the same thing but I was missing a letter, you can see it at the bottom, I only had two letters showing, turns out one of my letters was not on letterhead so it was not listed on the portal.

 

[Moose A Moose]

-

 

[drpercivalcox]

So, I have an interview for the 5th of November. It looks like it is only 4 hours long, so what should I be expecting? Also, a noon start is different as well. Thanks.

Friendly interview process, you eat breakfast in the morning (on them) with a student rep and an adminstrative rep (neither are interviewing you) to ask questions, talk. Then you get a tour of the school from student reps, get a financial aid presentation, then the interviewing begins (usually about an 1.5 hours left of the 4 hour day). You go in and do an interview with 2-4 people (it was 2 for everyone in my group). It will usually be a member of the admissions office and a faculty member at the school, they sometimes add a student / other faculty. Interview goes between 20-40 minutes. Pretty friendly, no crazy questions.

 

[JVB1216]

Hi guys, has anyone else been waiting over 15 days to receive an e-mail that their supplemental was received and processed? Kind of feel a bit in the dark here seeing that most people have received their e-mails within a week or so of submitting.

 

[futurexray]

Hi guys, has anyone else been waiting over 15 days to receive an e-mail that their supplemental was received and processed? Kind of feel a bit in the dark here seeing that most people have received their e-mails within a week or so of submitting.

You can be sure that as they get deeper into the process it is going to take longer and longer to get things out

 

[JVB1216]

You can be sure that as they get deeper into the process it is going to take longer and longer to get things out

that's what I thought....guess the wait begins thanks!

 

[Cognizant]

Thanks for the update on what to expect. Does that mean that the day does not start at noon, then? The confirmation email that I received stated that the interview started at noon. That interview day sounds great, though! VCOM was very laid back, though longer, so I guess this must be a thing for osteopathic schools.

As for what they are looking for: that is such a mixed bag. I graduated from Pitt with a Neuro degree, had a 3.71, got a 34 on the MCAT, and did not hear back about interviews until I met the admissions folks at the large gala event that they held in Pittsburgh. I think that they really do have a ton of people to sift through, and it just depends on who looks at your application and what they think they need at the time. Just keep holding on. You will get that invite, or, if not, you will get into a medical school and you will become a doctor, regardless of whether or not you attend PCOM!

Something that occurred to me is that for all of you who got high scores on the MCAT (higher than my decent score), it would be prudent to demonstrate to them that you sincerely want to go to PCOM, as they may assume that they are a safety to you. As for me, I am quite enamored with Osteopathic Medicine and the best doctors that I have ever interacted with have been PCOM alumni who are heads of departments at UPMC, so PCOM is my number one!

I hope this lengthy post helped somebody out!

 

[TopTomato]

Can anyone please explain the anatomy lab here at PCOM and how it is organized? Is it prosected? How many students per group, etc.? Thanks!

There are 6 students to a cadaver. None are prosected for us, the students have to do all of the dissecting. They have professors walking around the lab that are able to help you out with the dissections. Usually lab starts off with the professor explaining and telling us how to dissect, and which pages to follow in the manual. Then we dissect away!

 

[vegaroll]

Thanks for the update on what to expect. Does that mean that the day does not start at noon, then? The confirmation email that I received stated that the interview started at noon. That interview day sounds great, though! VCOM was very laid back, though longer, so I guess this must be a thing for osteopathic schools.

As for what they are looking for: that is such a mixed bag. I graduated from Pitt with a Neuro degree, had a 3.71, got a 34 on the MCAT, and did not hear back about interviews until I met the admissions folks at the large gala event that they held in Pittsburgh. I think that they really do have a ton of people to sift through, and it just depends on who looks at your application and what they think they need at the time. Just keep holding on. You will get that invite, or, if not, you will get into a medical school and you will become a doctor, regardless of whether or not you attend PCOM!

Something that occurred to me is that for all of you who got high scores on the MCAT (higher than my decent score), it would be prudent to demonstrate to them that you sincerely want to go to PCOM, as they may assume that they are a safety to you. As for me, I am quite enamored with Osteopathic Medicine and the best doctors that I have ever interacted with have been PCOM alumni who are heads of departments at UPMC, so PCOM is my number one!

I hope this lengthy post helped somebody out!

Yours will start at noon. They give you a tour and then eat lunch at 1.

 

[vegaroll]

Thanks for the update on what to expect. Does that mean that the day does not start at noon, then? The confirmation email that I received stated that the interview started at noon.

Yours will start at noon. They give you a tour and then eat lunch at 1. And then the interviews start.

 

[ah24m]

To a few above posters - no I never got a secondary complete email.

The email confirming my deposit is post acceptance

Sorry for the confusion

 

[Tabs69]

if you don't have committee letter will they accept 3 science letters or does 3rd letter need to be from non-science. website and application is ambiguous.

 

[vegaroll]

if you don't have committee letter will they accept 3 science letters or does 3rd letter need to be from non-science. website and application is ambiguous.

I think three science is okay since it says two must be science. I submitted two science letters and one from my employer.

 

[karling]

I submitted 3 science letters and it fulfilled the requirement.

 

[osteohack10]

Any fellow SDNers interviewing here Monday with me?

 

[WorldChanger36]

Does anybody know what interview dates are left and/or how long it takes post interview to get a decision?

 

[reapplicanthelpme2014]

Does anybody know what interview dates are left and/or how long it takes post interview to get a decision?

It took them 3 weeks or so to give me a decision.

 

[Oncotic]

Does anybody know what interview dates are left and/or how long it takes post interview to get a decision?

Decisions are made at the end of each month.

 

[reapplicanthelpme2014]

.

 

[WorldChanger36]

Decisions are made at the end of each month.

Anybody out there know what dates they are offering for interview?

 

[osteohack10]

Anybody out there know what dates they are offering for interview?

The date is just given to you in an email. I'm sure if you have a good reason they'd let you reschedule, though.

 

[HarperHarper]

Which hotels do people stay for interviews? Thanks!