2006 LECOM Postbaccalaureate Acceptances

Who has been accepted to the postbacc. program? I received mine, but I wanted to know who else has or who just completed the program...b/c I have a few questions.

I did too, as i posted in the other thread. What questions do u have? i will try to help...

I took the LECOM post bacc program the spring of 2002. I can answer what ever questions you might have. It's really "mini medical school" and is great preparation for the real thing. Let me know what you need.

oh thats great to have someone who completed the program answer some questions. I have some questions myself....

What percentage of successful students are admitted into LECOM after the program? and, would we be able to apply to other DO and MD schools afterwards? in other words, does excelling in the program enhance your application to both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools?

Thanks much 👍

cabinbuilder said:

I took the LECOM post bacc program the spring of 2002. I can answer what ever questions you might have. It's really "mini medical school" and is great preparation for the real thing. Let me know what you need.

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Can you describe a typical schedule of classes during each semester? How many students were in the post-bacc. program? I think I heard that you some classes with the medical students? How helpful are the instructors? How are the tests?

drjds said:

Can you describe a typical schedule of classes during each semester? How many students were in the post-bacc. program? I think I heard that you some classes with the medical students? How helpful are the instructors? How are the tests?

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To continue on...When do the classes usually begin? How soon did you have been in the program get to Erie? What apartments do you recommend that is in close proximity to the school?

mmm...i guess its just me and drjds this fall...lol

DrA said:

mmm...i guess its just me and drjds this fall...lol

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Well if that's the case...when will you be moving to Erie? When did you get your acceptance letter? Have they already mailed you back the information regarding the program after you mailed your agreement to accept being accepted (you know what I mean)? I hadn't gotten my information, yet. Do you know when classes start?

I got accepted mid-april. yes, I sent in the agreement but still havent recieved anything yet. I just emailed them yesterday, they said that i should have recieved housing information by now (which i didnt), and financial aid info will be sent soon. i dont know what day classes start, but i assume early sept. email them to let them know u didnt receive anything yet, otherwise they will never know. Im going to Erie this weekend to check things out, probably moving sometime in august... what about u?

I just got the housing packet in the mail...so you should be getting one too, i guess.

DrA said:

What percentage of successful students are admitted into LECOM after the program? and, would we be able to apply to other DO and MD schools afterwards? in other words, does excelling in the program enhance your application to both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools?

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I would say from my post bacc class approx 95% were admitted to the LECOM DO program the following fall. Of the other 5% either went to medical school somewhere else or podiatry school. I know of one student who did not apply because he could not get his undergrad grades released to apply.
You can apply to any school you want, you just apply to school through AMCAS or AACOMAS like you would usually. Yes, the program enhances your chances because of the level of the coursework - what they do is give you the first semester of medical school over that year. More time to learn the material you will see again.

drjds said:

Can you describe a typical schedule of classes during each semester? How many students were in the post-bacc. program? I think I heard that you some classes with the medical students? How helpful are the instructors? How are the tests?

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THe classes in post-bacc cover the same topics as the first semester of medical school. Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharm, micro, path, immunology. I don't really remember the "schedule", there is anatomy every week and the others are taught around anatomy. It really depends on the profs schedules during the day classes.

No, you do not take any classes with the medical students. They attend during the day, post bacc is in the evening 6-9pm Mon-Thurs.

The insturctors are the best. They really give you a lot of time should you need it. THey are at school during the day so if you needed help they are available.

The tests are set up like standard board exams. All multiple choice. The anatomy in post bacc does not include lab or dissection but you do get one day to see the bodies in the lab and Dr. Buck goes through how the lab works and you get a chance to ask the volunteer med students questions about anatomy practicles, etc.

I think the post bacc class I was in had about 50 students, a nice small group.

drjds said:

To continue on...When do the classes usually begin? How soon did you have been in the program get to Erie? What apartments do you recommend that is in close proximity to the school?

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I only took the second semester of post bacc, but I think the first semester starts in Sept after the med students have been there about a month.


How soon did you have been in the program get to Erie? What does this mean?? Confused???

Appts: There are plenty of housing options close to the school. Many students stay at WIllowwood which is nice and very inexpensive. But anything that's on Peach, Grandview, Zuck road, or W 38th are all close. I know a lot of folks are unhappy at Granada off of Kuntz so steer clear. I never lived in an appt so I don't really know. You would have to give me a specific address and I can tell you how far it is.

cabinbuilder said:

I only took the second semester of post bacc, but I think the first semester starts in Sept after the med students have been there about a month.


How soon did you have been in the program get to Erie? What does this mean?? Confused???

Appts: There are plenty of housing options close to the school. Many students stay at WIllowwood which is nice and very inexpensive. But anything that's on Peach, Grandview, Zuck road, or W 38th are all close. I know a lot of folks are unhappy at Granada off of Kuntz so steer clear. I never lived in an appt so I don't really know. You would have to give me a specific address and I can tell you how far it is.

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I must have been sleepy when I wrote the above questions...I see I made a lot of grammatical errors. I guess I was asking, "For those who have already been in the program, how soon did y'all get to Erie before the program started?"

drjds said:

I must have been sleepy when I wrote the above questions...I see I made a lot of grammatical errors. I guess I was asking, "For those who have already been in the program, how soon did y'all get to Erie before the program started?"

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I moved to Erie in July because I was in the DO program (class 2005) and got there 2.5 weeks early to set up my house, figure out where the post office was, the school, my kids school, the grocery stores, etc. I like to know ahead of time. I would think for a single person a week would suffice.

I had a lot of difficulty in the DO program due to personal issues and things that happened so the school put me in the post-bacc program the second half to give me some help and keep me enrolled. It's a great program - it really saved me. So I graduate here in 4 weeks, class 2006.

cabinbuilder said:

I moved to Erie in July because I was in the DO program (class 2005) and got there 2.5 weeks early to set up my house, figure out where the post office was, the school, my kids school, the grocery stores, etc. I like to know ahead of time. I would think for a single person a week would suffice.

I had a lot of difficulty in the DO program due to personal issues and things that happened so the school put me in the post-bacc program the second half to give me some help and keep me enrolled. It's a great program - it really saved me. So I graduate here in 4 weeks, class 2006.

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Congratulations on your graduation! Thank you for answering my questions.

You are welcome, let me know if you have any other questions

just a thought.....I was wondering, why do they ask us to provide roomate information on the form that u send back to "accept being accepted"?

DrA said:

just a thought.....I was wondering, why do they ask us to provide roomate information on the form that u send back to "accept being accepted"?

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They probably use the same form from the medical school side where students get paired up as roommates based on certain preferences. That's the only thing I can think of.

but they dont have housing for med students either. I think maybe they will send us a list of students in case we are looking for roomates... 😕

DrA said:

but they dont have housing for med students either. I think maybe they will send us a list of students in case we are looking for roomates... 😕

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Yea, I am quite sure that's what they are planning to do.

DrA said:

but they dont have housing for med students either. I think maybe they will send us a list of students in case we are looking for roomates... 😕

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Yes, when the list is put together then you will get a copy and decide who you want to contact as a potential roommate based on the survey that was filled out.

ok thank you 👍

drjds said:

Yea, I am quite sure that's what they are planning to do.

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Did you recieve anything from lecom lately?

DrA said:

Did you recieve anything from lecom lately?

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No, I haven't, still waiting.

drjds said:

No, I haven't, still waiting.

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I received a letter from LECOM today. It has the list of people who requested to be on the roommate list. Did any of you request to be on this list?

drjds said:

I received a letter from LECOM today. It has the list of people who requested to be on the roommate list. Did any of you request to be on this list?

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Yeah, i recieved it too. I am on the list, although I still dont know if i will be needing a roomate. I also recieved an email from one of the people on the list...nice to get to know fellow students already. 👍

drjds said:

I received a letter from LECOM today. It has the list of people who requested to be on the roommate list. Did any of you request to be on this list?

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So will you be attending the program or still not sure? I went to Erie again the other day. LECOM had an open house-type of event. I really loved the school, the city, the faculty and the students i met. Also, I have much more appreciation for osteopathic medicine now. It was great. Just wanted to share...they will be having another one in june and in july, you should go if you can. 🙂

DrA said:

So will you be attending the program or still not sure? I went to Erie again the other day. LECOM had an open house-type of event. I really loved the school, the city, the faculty and the students i met. Also, I have much more appreciation for osteopathic medicine now. It was great. Just wanted to share...they will be having another one in june and in july, you should go if you can. 🙂

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My name is also on the list, but I'm not sure if I would like to have a roommate or not. And no, I am still not sure if I am attending LECOM or not (I'm still waiting on another letter from another school). I did visit there in March and also in April last year. I had an interview this past March and I accompanied a friend to her interview in April 2005. Because I stay thousands of miles away, I'm not sure if I will be making the open-house events. I will let you know when I decide for sure on LECOM. Just out of curiosity, are you an underrepresented minority?

DrA said:

Yeah, i recieved it too. I am on the list, although I still dont know if i will be needing a roomate. I also recieved an email from one of the people on the list...nice to get to know fellow students already. 👍

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I also think I realize who you are on the list.

Hi I'm interested in applying to the program, but I'm not sure if this is for me. I wanted to know, will this help me to boost my academic record (provided I do well)? I've looked at the curriculum and its med school courses, so how does the grading system work? Thanks in advance!

drjds said:

My name is also on the list, but I'm not sure if I would like to have a roommate or not. And no, I am still not sure if I am attending LECOM or not (I'm still waiting on another letter from another school). I did visit there in March and also in April last year. I had an interview this past March and I accompanied a friend to her interview in April 2005. Because I stay thousands of miles away, I'm not sure if I will be making the open-house events. I will let you know when I decide for sure on LECOM. Just out of curiosity, are you an underrepresented minority?

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No, i am not considered an underrepresented minority. And yes, my name is the only one that starts with an A, so you know im the first one on the list 😛

BruceWayne said:

Hi I'm interested in applying to the program, but I'm not sure if this is for me. I wanted to know, will this help me to boost my academic record (provided I do well)? I've looked at the curriculum and its med school courses, so how does the grading system work? Thanks in advance!

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Hi,
I think it will surely boost your academic record, since its a post bac program. and as i know, if you do well in the program, you have a much higher chance of getting into med school (not just lecom) since the classes are basically first year material. Im not exactly sure how the grading system works. If youre thinking of applying for this fall, you still have time. I went to the open house last week, and they said that they are still accepting applications.

Thanks DrA, I think I read somewhere the deadline is August 1st, but for some reason, I can't find the deadline anywhere. 😕

Whoops I just found it on their site. Yeah its August 1st.

hmm now i'm just trying to find out about their grading system.

BruceWayne said:

Whoops I just found it on their site. Yeah its August 1st.

hmm now i'm just trying to find out about their grading system.

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They seem to give you only basic info on the site. I wish they had some FAQs. The guy who helps w/ the program, Brian Simonsen, seems to always be willing to answer questions. I just hate calling sometimes, b/c I seem to always forget what I wanted to ask. I guess I should write it down. Dr.A, are you waiting to hear from other schools?

drjds said:

They seem to give you only basic info on the site. I wish they had some FAQs. The guy who helps w/ the program, Brian Simonsen, seems to always be willing to answer questions. I just hate calling sometimes, b/c I seem to always forget what I wanted to ask. I guess I should write it down. Dr.A, are you waiting to hear from other schools?

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Thanks drjds, I think I'll try to contact him. Lets see what he says.

drjds said:

They seem to give you only basic info on the site. I wish they had some FAQs. The guy who helps w/ the program, Brian Simonsen, seems to always be willing to answer questions. I just hate calling sometimes, b/c I seem to always forget what I wanted to ask. I guess I should write it down. Dr.A, are you waiting to hear from other schools?

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Yeah, Brian is a very nice guy, even when I met him in person. He will answer any questions. No, im not waiting to hear from any schools. This year is my first time applying actually. I didnt plan on attending this program earlier, but since I didnt do well on the mcat twice, I thought I should have a backup plan just in case. Plus I didnt want to waste a year just sitting around. The LECOM post bac seemed to be a good oppurtunity for my case. 😎

DrA said:

Yeah, Brian is a very nice guy, even when I met him in person. He will answer any questions. No, im not waiting to hear from any schools. This year is my first time applying actually. I didnt plan on attending this program earlier, but since I didnt do well on the mcat twice, I thought I should have a backup plan just in case. Plus I didnt want to waste a year just sitting around. The LECOM post bac seemed to be a good oppurtunity for my case. 😎

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The same for me...

Hello, I completed the post-bacc program last year, and can say that I couldn't have gotten into medical school without it (TUCOM-CA, c/o 2010) So I wish you all the best.

Now for grades, if you look at the schedule:

http://www.lecom.edu/lecom/application/post-bac.asp

...you'll see the classes for each semester as well as the credit breakdown. You'll take exams for each subject and subsequently, earn grades for each. A's are given 4.0 points, and so on. Those grades are multiplied by the corresponding credits for each class and then divided by 60 (Total # units multiplied by 4.0) to arrive at a cumulative percentage for the semester.

I'm sure you or others viewing this thread will have more questions to come, so please don't hesistate to shoot me a PM, and then I'll answer them in public so all can see...I don't always check the Postbaccalaureate forum. Please bear with me however, as I exist in the land of the employed; and will respond as quickly as I can.

-Bert

hi everyone!

I have ALSO been accepted into fall 2006!! however, i am a predent student and am wondering if it is still doable as a pre dental??

my acceptance letter says that I must maintain a 3.0 and take the mcat and get above a 20.....but I DO NOT PLAN on taking the mcat again. so any opinions from you guys in here?

will it still be beneficial to complete this program but am NOT pursuing medicine?

? 🙂

MansonTiles said:

hi everyone!

I have ALSO been accepted into fall 2006!! however, i am a predent student and am wondering if it is still doable as a pre dental??

my acceptance letter says that I must maintain a 3.0 and take the mcat and get above a 20.....but I DO NOT PLAN on taking the mcat again. so any opinions from you guys in here?

will it still be beneficial to complete this program but am NOT pursuing medicine?

? 🙂

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Do everyone's letter say that you have to get above a 20 on the MCAT?

drjds said:

Do everyone's letter say that you have to get above a 20 on the MCAT?

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Mine didnt say anything about the mcat.

MansonTiles said:

hi everyone!

I have ALSO been accepted into fall 2006!! however, i am a predent student and am wondering if it is still doable as a pre dental??

my acceptance letter says that I must maintain a 3.0 and take the mcat and get above a 20.....but I DO NOT PLAN on taking the mcat again. so any opinions from you guys in here?

will it still be beneficial to complete this program but am NOT pursuing medicine?

? 🙂

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Why did u take the mcat if you are pre-dental? Im not sure if this program would be best for you if you plan on going to dental school. I think the main purpose of the program is to gain admission to medical school, but also to enhance your application or raise your grades to go into other health professions. Check what classes are taken in the first year of dental school and see if they are the same as those in the post bac program. You can also PM Maishaldan, since he has completed the program.
I think they ask you to retake the mcat only if you want to be guaranteed an interview at lecom, which you wont be needing.

DrA said:

Mine didnt say anything about the mcat.

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I guess you had a pretty decent MCAT score then.

Two of you PM'ed me questions, so I'll be answering here since their questions that I'm sure others have as well. Also, I'm including a portion of some PM's that I exchanged with students who like you were waiting to start the program this time last year.

So with your questions first:

1. Should I look into this program if I am only interested in DO schools?

The program should help you get into medschool, whether MD/DO. For those curious about allo schools; one friend of mine got into an MD school in North Dakota. IMPORTANT NOTE : Attending this program DOES NOT require you to apply to LECOM's or any other DO school. Another friend of mine applied to dental school last year.

2. How often are tests administered for each course? Are they all multiple-choice?

The first exam was given after 5 lectures, I think. After that, there is a rapid acceleration in terms of material covered in lecture as well as the number of lectures covered for each exam. You will notice this, they've got to see if you're truly medschool caliber. Yes, the test questions are all "Guess-tron" Also, the test questions are the very same ones used for the med-students; post-bacc'ers just won't get tested on the entire bank.




Now, the excerpt from a PM I sent a year ago. I guess he wanted to know my stats

I’m going to apologize ahead of time ‘cause there will be redundant info as I’ve answered similar questions in other PM’s

My MCAT score: 28O: PS: 8; VR: 11; BS: 9; WS: O. FYI: Average accepted MCAT for LECOM '08: 23.

Quote:
That was incredibly helpful. I think I'm highly leaning on going there provided they accept me. Few more q's and I think I'll be set. For the classes, I know there are several you take during the semesters, does each day have a new class or does each class have multiple lectures pertaining to different subjects? So slacks/shirt/tie but can i wear a hat..(force of habit)? Are there different ph'd professors for each subject or how does that work and do they all speak english well. ( I've had some bad experiences in undergrad ). Are laptops a great idea for the post-bac or what do you think? As far as living there do i have a good shot at securing an apartment there, preferiably at Lakeview or anywhere this late since i've heard them to be great? Aight, you've been awesome in this whole process. Take your time to answer i know your busy and I'll keep you updated with the whole lecom post-bac thing!



Exam/Lecture setup: Each lecture covers one subject only; the next nights will likely cover the same subject unless the upcoming exam will cover multiple subjects (2 at the most).

Hats: Few wore hats, you prolly could; but I doubt you'd get in the front door wearing a ballcap.

Professors: You'll get multiple profs who teach the subjects as a "team"; 3 for Micro, etc. There is only one prof in particular who will frustrate students due to his thick Iranian accent; but I'm from Cali, so accents don't phase me. Besides, he's a really nice guy and he does know his stuff, it's the delivery that could use the help

Laptops: You can live without 'em; but they're a Godsend during ridiculously boring lectures 'cause you can at least surf the web. I'd say have some kind of computer so you can get the lectures on power point; essential for anatomy in January, so if money's tight I guess you can wait.

Apartments: Lakeview is very nice and close; I would call now and check the situation. I stayed in the Vineyard Village Apts. run by the Baldwin Bros and I thought they were the absolute best. I could go on for days how I loved that place. The catch: Only 2 bedroom units available; so if you could find a roomate, cool; but I would just find a way to budget it so you could live alone. My rent: $630/mo. You don't want a bad roomie situation. I didn't have trouble securing a place, and I didn't start 'till Sept 1.

In general, LECOM is really good about ethnic diversity in their post-bacc and med-school classes

Another old PM:

Your questions:

Ability of program to get you in: Follow the suggestions I gave in the post, and you're in; plain and simple. Just about everyone in the program had lower GPA's, but that's what was so cool about LECOM; they saw potential elsewhere, and my classmates showed how good they were. Their pasts just weren't indicative of their true abilities, and it showed, 'cause we were a strong class. I would've had no problem getting in w/my 2.81 undergrad and 2.55 sci GPA, but of course, I had to rock the program (4.0 cumulative)

Exams : We had 7 exams for the first semester plus one cumulative final on each subject; it was only worth 10 percent. They were roughly every 2 weeks, so you were tested on about 5-7 lectures/exam.

Studying : The Post-bacc pace definitely ramps up as the year progresses. Lecture is only 3 hours/evening (yes, 6-9 or 5-8 PM) There's lots of time to study, just don't fall too far behind. A good idea is to keep up with the previous night's lecture before attending the next one; and prep for that night's lecture.

Dress code : Yes, you have to adhere to dress code, which really pissed me off; but what canya do?

Social life : Potential for this is enormous, so much so that a few classmates' grades suffered for it. I had an absolute blast; think about it, small class, intense situation being mutually experienced, similar goals, lots of time spent together...perfect formula.

Interaction w/first years : Absolutely, in fact, my former classmates will share some helpful advice w/the next class sometime in the beginning of the fall semester. You also got me; when you come up w/anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask.

-as I told the other person, when you come up w/more questions, shoot me a PM, it'll be my pleasure.

Excellent post Bert, thanks for answering our questions 😀

DrA said:

Why did u take the mcat if you are pre-dental? Im not sure if this program would be best for you if you plan on going to dental school. I think the main purpose of the program is to gain admission to medical school, but also to enhance your application or raise your grades to go into other health professions. Check what classes are taken in the first year of dental school and see if they are the same as those in the post bac program. You can also PM Maishaldan, since he has completed the program.
I think they ask you to retake the mcat only if you want to be guaranteed an interview at lecom, which you wont be needing.

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RIGHT. so i will not be needing to take the mcat! I am in without, and i would need to take it, I THINK< if i want a guaranteed interveiew there???

but the program sounds exciting, fun, challeneging.....still deciding if its right for me. It will def. boost your credentials if you succeed in the curriculum....

how much time do you have to sign and turn in the acceptance, anyone know? i guess i can write brian s. and ask him about my situation. 🙂

So I have a question...When is everyone planning to apply to med schools...during or after post bac at lecom?

DrA said:

So I have a question...When is everyone planning to apply to med schools...during or after post bac at lecom?

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I plan on applying during the program for the 2008 year. How bout you?