2010-2011 The Commonwealth Medical College Application Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.
DoctaFuture said:
guys, what have the admin people said on the phone when you have called about all this waiting?
Click to expand...

"No news is good news."

Just kidding, I haven't called them. :) But everytime I open my empty email acct and mailbox, I whisper that mantra. Keep the faith buddy & best of luck!!:luck:
Members don't see this ad.
 
waitlist email today. I'm remaining optimistic! :) Good luck to everyone!!:luck:

Interview: 3/18
Waitlisted: 4/21
 
Last edited:
waitlisted as well.

Interview 2/18/11
Waitlisted 4/21/11
 
Members don't see this ad :)
all that waiting for a waitlist... lol :)

Interview: 2/25
Waitlist: 4/21
 
After they make their final ranking of the waitlist on May 15th, does anyone know if we can find out where we rank on it? I know some other schools break it down into thirds or tiers, but I haven't been told about how TCMC does it.
 
There's no decision made yet for me... :scared:
 
Interview: 2/18
Waitlist: 4/21

At this point I'm happy just to have received some form of communication! Good luck to those still waiting.
 
Whoops never mind. Waitlist as well. It wasn't on my status page but in my email. Oh well good luck to everyone else! :)
 
Did anyone still waiting from Feb/early March get accepted today? Or did they just waitlist almost everyone?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
NDundergrad said:
Did anyone still waiting from Feb/early March get accepted today? Or did they just waitlist almost everyone?
Click to expand...

Looks like all the people here got wait listed. I'm sure there will be movement after May 15th on the waitlist, there is at every school and TCMC is no different. :D
 
So even though I got an e-mail that said I was waitlisted, it doesn't say anything on the application portal. Anyone have any insights as to why?
 
"Looks like all the people here got wait listed. I'm sure there will be movement after May 15th on the waitlist, there is at every school and TCMC is no different. :D?"


^This implies to me that we almost everyone interviewing in Feb and onward was interviewing for a waitlist spot (maybe their class filled unexpectedly quickly, and they didn't know what else to do)? :(
 
NDundergrad said:
"Looks like all the people here got wait listed. I'm sure there will be movement after May 15th on the waitlist, there is at every school and TCMC is no different. :D?"


^This implies to me that we almost everyone interviewing in Feb and onward was interviewing for a waitlist spot (maybe their class filled unexpectedly quickly, and they didn't know what else to do)? :(
Click to expand...

This could be the case although I am sure there were still open spots left (Which was confirmed by them during the interview day when I was there).

I believe though that for those who waited much longer then the expected waiting time (2-4 weeks), although not given an acceptance, were probably looked at favorably by the committee. Like versus said, holding off on making a decision can be implied that they are waiting for other applicants to drop their spots, so even though we got waitlisted there is still a decent chance for acceptance (...I hope! :xf:).
 
dctrAM said:
So even though I got an e-mail that said I was waitlisted, it doesn't say anything on the application portal. Anyone have any insights as to why?
Click to expand...

yea i was wondering about this too...the portal is supposed to be a "live" system
 
versus said:
Looks like all the people here got wait listed. I'm sure there will be movement after May 15th on the waitlist, there is at every school and TCMC is no different. :D
Click to expand...

Really? There's no one that was accepted or even rejected?
 
What do people think about the Dean stepping down?
 
Woble said:
What do people think about the Dean stepping down?
Click to expand...

I think it's shady that they won't tell us WHY he is stepping down. It seems kind of sudden. Someone mentioned earlier that it may reflect badly on their ability to be transparent and makes us wonder if there is some kind of internal conflict in the administration. Other people said it's no big deal. The school's ideals, mission, values etc will not change because of this since the dean is replaceable and it's not only him that decides those things.

You can go back to earlier posts in this thread, there was a discussion about it.
 
dctrAM said:
I think it's shady that they won't tell us WHY he is stepping down. It seems kind of sudden. Someone mentioned earlier that it may reflect badly on their ability to be transparent and makes us wonder if there is some kind of internal conflict in the administration. Other people said it's no big deal. The school's ideals, mission, values etc will not change because of this since the dean is replaceable and it's not only him that decides those things.

You can go back to earlier posts in this thread, there was a discussion about it.
Click to expand...

In TCMC's defense, they did just send out a special announcement about their interim dean, Dr. Maurice Clifton, and their ongoing search for a new dean--all in the spirit of transparency. They may not be wholly forthright about Dr. D'Alessandri's leaving, but they are trying to keep some lines of communication open.
 
Last edited:
dctrAM said:
I think it's shady that they won't tell us WHY he is stepping down. It seems kind of sudden. Someone mentioned earlier that it may reflect badly on their ability to be transparent and makes us wonder if there is some kind of internal conflict in the administration. Other people said it's no big deal. The school's ideals, mission, values etc will not change because of this since the dean is replaceable and it's not only him that decides those things.

You can go back to earlier posts in this thread, there was a discussion about it.
Click to expand...

Right, me and some other sdn members were mentioning that people shouldn't worry about this as much as they think they should. The dean is just one part of the TCMC puzzle and I feel the entire med school is well supported.
 
Hey guys! I've been looking at apartments in Scranton (there doesn't seem to be a wide variety) and, after calling a few of them, I've found that the cheapest 1 bedroom apartment will be at least $800/month. Is there anyone who has been accepted or plans on being accepted that would be interested in getting a 2 bedroom for a year? Let me know!
 
Hey!
I withdrew my acceptance today. Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear back!
:)
 
Alejandro87 said:
Hey guys! I've been looking at apartments in Scranton (there doesn't seem to be a wide variety) and, after calling a few of them, I've found that the cheapest 1 bedroom apartment will be at least $800/month. Is there anyone who has been accepted or plans on being accepted that would be interested in getting a 2 bedroom for a year? Let me know!
Click to expand...


I'm waitlisted, but if I get in here shortly I'd be down to look for an apartment.
 
how was the second look day??
 
Two more weeks until waitlist movement begins!
 
abyz said:
how was the second look day??
Click to expand...

I was unable to make the second look day because of finals/graduation at many school. Would anyone who attended be able to send me some of the information? I can pay for postage etc. but I am very interested in the information that they gave out. Thank you and let me know! :D
 
versus said:
I was unable to make the second look day because of finals/graduation at many school. Would anyone who attended be able to send me some of the information? I can pay for postage etc. but I am very interested in the information that they gave out. Thank you and let me know! :D
Click to expand...

The only real information that was handed out was sent in an email earlier today. There was a presentation about the curriculum which was similar to what we heard on interview day. They said that this presentation is available on the website. Also, the new building is great and our White Coat ceremony will be on August 13th.

There is one difference that will be relavant to those on the waitlist. TCMC decided to cap the class at 65, instead of the 100-110 that was originally stated back when I interviewed early on in the season.

Best of luck to everyone.
 
MaVieenRose said:
There is one difference that will be relavant to those on the waitlist. TCMC decided to cap the class at 65, instead of the 100-110 that was originally stated back when I interviewed early on in the season.
Click to expand...

...seriously? I can't imagine there will be too much of a waitlist movement then. Well, this just goes to further substantiate what I said earlier about how the dean's resignation is a reflection of poor internal stability and transparency (and yes, I understand that 2 weeks later we all received a very vague email about it). I'm beginning to regret falling in love with this school.
 
Last edited:
Alejandro87 said:
...seriously? I can't imagine there will be too much of a waitlist movement then. Well, this just goes to further substantiate what I said earlier about how the dean's resignation is a reflection of poor internal stability and transparency (and yes, I understand that 2 weeks later we all received a very vague email about it). I'm beginning to regret falling in love with this school.
Click to expand...

I do agree that the change in the number of students was a surprise to me and is something that I would have like announced to applicants early on but it seems like it was a not a calculated effort to deceive applicants but a decision that was made after considering the school's immediate and long-term goals in light of changes such as facilities, resources, and staff turnover, ie. dean's departure. (Personally, I am pleased with the change since I am a fan of small classes).

In terms of transparency, I was impressed by their discussions about issues they have identified in the curriculum, how they are addressing them, and the like as well as their status in the accreditation process and next steps. I feel that these are issues that are more relevant to students as they make decisions. I feel pretty comfortable believing that if the dean's departure was something that was truly going to impact future students, we would have been informed. Might be wishful thinking, though.

Anyhow, I really hope it works out for you in the end!
 
MaVieenRose said:
There is one difference that will be relavant to those on the waitlist. TCMC decided to cap the class at 65, instead of the 100-110 that was originally stated back when I interviewed early on in the season.
Click to expand...

Wow. No wonder everyone who interviewed February onwards was waitlisted. This decision was definitely made after I interviewed on Feb 18th, because we were also told the class size was going to be 110. Feeling totally misled and cast aside...

I WANT MY TIME AND MONEY BACK!
 
wow thats really frustrating to hear that there are actually half the amount of seats than we thought there would be. No wonder all of us February and onward interview folks got waitlisted. I wish they would have told us this, so we would have realisic hopes, because now the possibility of getting off of the waitlist is reduced in half :(
 
MaVieenRose said:
The only real information that was handed out was sent in an email earlier today. There was a presentation about the curriculum which was similar to what we heard on interview day. They said that this presentation is available on the website. Also, the new building is great and our White Coat ceremony will be on August 13th.

There is one difference that will be relavant to those on the waitlist. TCMC decided to cap the class at 65, instead of the 100-110 that was originally stated back when I interviewed early on in the season.

Best of luck to everyone.
Click to expand...

Can anyone confirm this?
 
Yes that is disappointing to hear. Also I've learned (from a very reliable source) that the dean was asked to step down.

I think it's crazy that they interviewed over 600 applicants this year just to have a final class size of 65. But I wish they would've told those of us who were waitlisted what the final class size was going to be as it is most relevant to us.
 
Last edited:
I was at second-look day this weekend. The school announced that the class of 2015 will be 65 students. This only happened after the January accreditation visit by LCME-they requested that the school not expand the class size (2014- is 65 students) until they had run a class through the third year. Best of luck to those on the waitlist!
 
Hmmm :/

Let's stay optimistic, I'm sure some spots will open up (just nowhere near the amount that would have).

I'm frustrated right there with all of you though. It's like the Jim Tressel situation, don't go selling books on honesty (or transparency in this case) and then go and do the most un-transparent thing you can think of...
 
So they told everyone that there would be a 100 to 110 applicants accepted and now they are saying 65. Since people in January stopped hearing about their acceptance in the 2-3 week frame that the school had said I would assume that means that they knew early in January that they were not going to accept the 100-110 students but they did not offer the information to applicants and still kept interviewing when they knew there was no chance that those applicants would be accepted. So students who were "Cash Strapped" flew there, stayed overnight at the Radisson and incurred many costs that they probably had to get aloan to pay for. No one in the admissions office ever mentioned this to the people that called in - when they DEIGNED to answer the phone. Call now and they still don't aswer, they just send you to a voice mail for you to leave your name and phone number - knowing that you won't because you will be black listed. WHERE IS THE INTEGRITY HERE?
 
Hmm... well I interviewed mid-feb and was accepted 2 weeks later (OOS). I do remember being told at the interview day that the class would be ~110 so that's really unfortunate that it changed... I am withdrawing my acceptance here today though and I really hope it goes to one of you waitlisters!!! Good luck everyone!
 
I think it would be unfortunate if they had just found out -but if they have known for months and not passed that info on to applicants -then I think it is more than unfortunte - it is an integrity issue
 
Cash, I know you're pissed. But if they were only accepting 65 people originally and you had an interview at this school w/out having many other interviews, I'm sure you would still spend the money to go to this interview so you can give yourself a shot at med school. Nonetheless, this still sucks for applicants/interviewees of TCMC. Based on what everyone was saying about TCMC for the past few months, they were slow in updating the interviewees with their status post-interview. A difference of 40 acceptances is quite a bit. Let us see what happens. GL guys.
 
I just think that the school should have announced it as soon as they knew and if this was the reason for the slowdown in acceptance waitlist they should have said that. Instead they wait until people do a second look see and then say it. Have they let the wait listed know that their chance of getting in is a snowball in hell chance. I think it is a lack of integrity issue - people are waiting to make plans and they have knocked almost 50% of their seats down. Let applicants know the truth!
 
And if they had told me that all 65 spots were full (or 64 of the 65) then I would not have wasted the time and money to come for an interview.
 
Cash Strapped said:
And if they had told me that all 65 spots were full (or 64 of the 65) then I would not have wasted the time and money to come for an interview.
Click to expand...

Did you have other acceptances or a bunch of interviews before the TCMC interview? Also, if you're sitting on a WL or waiting to hear back from a school, you really can't go forth and make drastic plans b/c you're just waiting. Regardless, it sucks and I think they were waiting to see how many people would withdraw their acceptances at some certain time point before accepting new people.
 
Cash Strapped said:
I just think that the school should have announced it as soon as they knew and if this was the reason for the slowdown in acceptance waitlist they should have said that. Instead they wait until people do a second look see and then say it. Have they let the wait listed know that their chance of getting in is a snowball in hell chance. I think it is a lack of integrity issue - people are waiting to make plans and they have knocked almost 50% of their seats down. Let applicants know the truth!
Click to expand...

I think you need to calm down. For all we know they didn't know how big their class size is gonna be up until the second look fair and not everybody knew (especially the people who spoke to us). Are we really trying to demonize a community based med school that is trying to get accreditation? We don't even know the circumstances of why the dean resigned and what other factors lead the accreditation committee reduce the class size. I can understand your frustration but this is the whole process of applying to med school. You are treated as a name that resides in a state with stats. Don't hate the playa hate the game.
 
Last edited:
Quiznos Oven said:
I think you need to calm down. For all we know they didn't know how big their class size is gonna be up until the second look fair and not everybody knew (especially the people who spoke to us). Are we really trying to demonize a community based med school that is trying to get accreditation? We don't even know the circumstances of why the dean resigned and what other factors lead the accreditation committee reduce the class size. I can understand your frustration but this is the whole process of applying to med school. You are treated as a name that resides in a state with stats. Don't hate the playa hate the game.
Click to expand...

+1

Yup Quiznos nailed it as well. I still feel TCMC is a good school that is trying to do its best to create great community based physicians. I can't hate on them especially for being a young medical school.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

wysdoc
2023-2024 Virginia Commonwealth
17 18 19 20 21
Replies
1K
Views
223K
dancegal16
D
chilly_md
2023-2024 Commonwealth (Geisinger)
9 10 11 12 13
Replies
609
Views
136K
alienpsych
A
chilly_md
2023-2024 Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW)
13 14 15 16 17
Replies
849
Views
186K
pg13smoove
P
wysdoc
2022-2023 Commonwealth (Geisinger)
17 18 19 20 21
Replies
1K
Views
196K
fxryker
fxryker
wysdoc
2022-2023 Virginia Commonwealth
22 23 24 25 26
Replies
1K
Views
293K
PothosDeliciosa
P
Top