2012-2013 The Commonwealth Medical College Application Thread

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Lol they invite folks from CA, NJ,FL,NY, and still accept mostly instate applicants. According to their 2013 match list many competitive residents preferred out of state residencies. Lol, can't imagine an applicant from Cali staying there after graduation. By the way, "primary care focus" is just a way for any particular school to get funds from their state or to make affiliations (even private universities engage in this practice). Then, students come and tell them they want to care for underserved, but choose more competitive residencies if their grades allow them. In the end, it's just a vicious cycle. TCMC lies to state officials about their mission, then students do the same thing. It's time to look at things realistically.
 
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ITtoMedSchool said:
I was deferred as well. I was expecting to be accepted, rejected or put on the alternate list. What does it mean to be deferred?
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It means that they are holding off on making a decision on your app. So the next date they will update everyone is April 30th. I'm sure by then a lot will withdraw IMO...
 
Deferred as well what a quick turnaround from the 15th lol
 
Deffered. Glad to know I'm not alone...
 
Deferred... I am withdrawing anyways so good luck to everyone 😀
 
ugh you guys getting deferred is killing me... I'm interviewing April 10th and was hoping i'd get in 🙁

Just wondering, what were your guys stats?

I have a 3.8 sGPA but only a 29 MCAT... I have research, tutoring kids in philadelphia, and volunteer work, and am part of the powerlifting club.
 
I think most people who were deferred from the recent batch are from out of state but just a speculation lol the vibe i got from the interview was that they really want people from pennsylvania which makes sense since their whole mission is about serving that region.
 
Decision Deferred as as well.
 
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Interview scheduled for 04/12, will be withdrawing.
Hope someone gets my spot! Good luck everyone 😀
 
SilverCat said:
Deferred again. Pretty sure once you're deferred you're either going to be rejected or wait listed; I haven't seen anyone accepted after being deferred.
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Hi! I just landed back here. I withdrew long ago from TCMC, but I was initially deferred and then accepted so its not an automatic rejection or waitlist! Good luck 🙂

I'm OOS
 
Did anyone who withdrew their acceptance get a confirmation e-mail or have their deposit refunded yet?
 
sec81 said:
Did anyone who withdrew their acceptance get a confirmation e-mail or have their deposit refunded yet?
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No, and I am a little concerned over that since May 15 is the deadline and I don't want this school to have me under accepted and matriculating. I will send another email shortly.

I withdrew a while ago too!
 
Deferred again.

I talked to a friend (3rd year) who rotated with TCMC students. Apparently, they all hated it. I asked if it was just 3rd-year-blues, and he told me that they were genuinely disgruntled by the LIC program.

As for tuition:
Governor Corbett has declared a war on public education and has repeatedly cut funding to state-associated institutions. I don't see the tuition problem at TCMC getting any better for the next few years while Corbett's term runs out. By 4th year, I'd expect to pay 60k as an instate resident.

Everything about the school seems great. Unfortunately, I think I'll be withdrawing once waitlisted. I like the DO school I've been accepted to, and I don't think TCMC is worth the pricetag.
 
To say all the students at tcmc were unhappy seems a little far fetch! But anything is possible.
 
EnergyDrink said:
Deferred again.

I talked to a friend (3rd year) who rotated with TCMC students. Apparently, they all hated it. I asked if it was just 3rd-year-blues, and he told me that they were genuinely disgruntled by the LIC program.

As for tuition:
Governor Corbett has declared a war on public education and has repeatedly cut funding to state-associated institutions. I don't see the tuition problem at TCMC getting any better for the next few years while Corbett's term runs out. By 4th year, I'd expect to pay 60k as an instate resident.

Everything about the school seems great. Unfortunately, I think I'll be withdrawing once waitlisted. I like the DO school I've been accepted to, and I don't think TCMC is worth the pricetag.
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Which DO school are you going to?

Chapmanfam6 said:
To say all the students at tcmc were unhappy seems a little far fetch! But anything is possible.
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I have actually heard this same complaint from friends in the inaugural class. They just generally felt that they were unprepared for outside rotations because of how few patients they saw in the LIC schedule.
 
Same here, both 3rd years and 4th years were disgruntled about the school. I was interviewed by a second year and she said that they're not happy because they were the guinea pigs and she also said things are much better for her class. She's also a second year and haven't done rotations to know if they're good or not.

hallowmann said:
I have actually heard this same complaint from friends in the inaugural class. They just generally felt that they were unprepared for outside rotations because of how few patients they saw in the LIC schedule.
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Its funny how people apply to TCMC, don't get their acceptance and then talk down to the school. It makes me wonder why they even applied.
 
Cuongoff said:
Same here, both 3rd years and 4th years were disgruntled about the school. I was interviewed by a second year and she said that they're not happy because they were the guinea pigs and she also said things are much better for her class. She's also a second year and haven't done rotations to know if they're good or not.
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1st and 2nd years get quick bursts of rotations in community weeks - so she definitely has an idea. Each year you do about 3-4 community weeks where you're out at your respective regional campus in the hospitals with an attending.
 
Tadaaa said:
No, and I am a little concerned over that since May 15 is the deadline and I don't want this school to have me under accepted and matriculating. I will send another email shortly.

I withdrew a while ago too!
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I withdrew a week ago, and didn't get a response or reply of any kind either. I expected an email or call when they received the signed hardcopy of my withdrawal letter, but didn't get one. I am planning to call next week, as I am also concerned about the approaching May 15 deadline.
 
Chapmanfam6 said:
Its funny how people apply to TCMC, don't get their acceptance and then talk down to the school. It makes me wonder why they even applied.
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Its funny how premeds assume they know people's backgrounds/motives for things. I think TCMC is a good school, and I certainly haven't been rejected, but I am just saying that is something I heard directly from friends in the inaugural class that has been substantiated by not just others in this thread (including I think at least one member of the inaugural class), but previous year threads and the "Class of" threads. Every school has something that students complain about. Mentioning/talking about that thing doesn't mean you are bad mouthing the school. It means you are taking an objective look at all aspects of the school, good and bad.
 
I think that this discussion is relevant and has its merits as people are trying to decide where to spend the next 4 years of their life. However, I would say that what the inaugural class has said and what current 3rd years say is not necessarily an accurate means by which to evaluate the school. Things at TCMC are literally changing every year. The school is incredibly open to change (ie. an advantage to being a new med school). Does that mean the LIC won't exist by the time you're a 3rd year? No, of course not. Each system of clinical education in 3rd and 4th year has its strengths and weaknesses. Hell, entire academic papers are written on the subject. Ironically, even the admissions staff will claim that their students may not like the LIC all the time - but by TCMC's mission, they deem it the most effective way to learn clinical skills. In the end - that's how you have to look at it. As an individual - do you like interdisciplinary learning? Do you value getting to see many different perspectives in a shorter time frame?

As for the price range - yeah med schools expensive, nothing we didn't already know. Whether it's worth it or not, is only a decision for someone who's gotten into multiple schools can make, however it is an incredibly personal decision. It's a great decision to have and I just caution you that an incredible amount of people on these threads would give anything to pay the tuition at TCMC just to attend a medical school (especially at this time of year).
 
Tadaaa said:
No, and I am a little concerned over that since May 15 is the deadline and I don't want this school to have me under accepted and matriculating. I will send another email shortly.

I withdrew a while ago too!
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anyone know if they will send a confirmation email for withdrawing acceptance of some sort?
 
👍
hallowmann said:
Its funny how premeds assume they know people's backgrounds/motives for things. I think TCMC is a good school, and I certainly haven't been rejected, but I am just saying that is something I heard directly from friends in the inaugural class that has been substantiated by not just others in this thread (including I think at least one member of the inaugural class), but previous year threads and the "Class of" threads. Every school has something that students complain about. Mentioning/talking about that thing doesn't mean you are bad mouthing the school. It means you are taking an objective look at all aspects of the school, good and bad.
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I wasn't making any assumptions in the first place just a hint of curiosity. You are inferring that its the premed students makings these comments, don't be so sure my friend. You never know who is on the other side of the computer.
 
4th year TCMC student here. The LIC is both good and bad. The main positive (in my opinion) is that you have a great deal of free time. For all of 3rd year, I had every Tues off and every Wed afternoon off to do as I please. This was invaluable for board study and exploring other specialties. The main negative (in my opinion) is that your 3rd year is more outpatient heavy. I've talked to dozens of other med students outside TCMC who have done the traditional 3rd year and I've concluded that 3rd year is what you make of it. If you want to slack off, you can. If you want to be a gunner, you can. My experiences would lead me to believe that an avg student going through the LIC would come out the same as one going through a traditional route. You personally might like one over the other, but you can't know until you do it. There is no way to premeditate your preference, because so much will change once you are in medical school.
I would not make any decision to attend a medical school based on the 3rd year curriculum. Find out which school that you got accepted to will help you get into the best residency. That's all that is going to matter once you are in. And no matter what school you go to, you will learn to complain about everything, if you already don't. Remember to count your blessings.
 
Also, PM me if you are looking for an apartment in Scranton. I will be at the next revisit day.
 
DaSein77 said:
4th year TCMC student here. The LIC is both good and bad. The main positive (in my opinion) is that you have a great deal of free time. For all of 3rd year, I had every Tues off and every Wed afternoon off to do as I please. This was invaluable for board study and exploring other specialties. The main negative (in my opinion) is that your 3rd year is more outpatient heavy. I've talked to dozens of other med students outside TCMC who have done the traditional 3rd year and I've concluded that 3rd year is what you make of it. If you want to slack off, you can. If you want to be a gunner, you can. My experiences would lead me to believe that an avg student going through the LIC would come out the same as one going through a traditional route. You personally might like one over the other, but you can't know until you do it. There is no way to premeditate your preference, because so much will change once you are in medical school.
I would not make any decision to attend a medical school based on the 3rd year curriculum. Find out which school that you got accepted to will help you get into the best residency. That's all that is going to matter once you are in. And no matter what school you go to, you will learn to complain about everything, if you already don't. Remember to count your blessings.
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Amen school is what you make of it no matter where you go!
 
At the interview they mentioned that they address the concern of not seeing as many patients in certain situations with the burst rotations, where you spend a whole week on one core rotation type (IM, OB/GYN, Surgery, etc.). They also seem like a school that is very receptive to student feedback, and willing to change for its students.
 
sec81 said:
Did anyone who withdrew their acceptance get a confirmation e-mail or have their deposit refunded yet?
Click to expand...

Tadaaa said:
No, and I am a little concerned over that since May 15 is the deadline and I don't want this school to have me under accepted and matriculating. I will send another email shortly.

I withdrew a while ago too!
Click to expand...

SkierDude said:
I withdrew a week ago, and didn't get a response or reply of any kind either. I expected an email or call when they received the signed hardcopy of my withdrawal letter, but didn't get one. I am planning to call next week, as I am also concerned about the approaching May 15 deadline.
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Im on the same boat! I sent an email saying i wanted to withdraw my app ( a week ago)...was this sufficient? I dont know the protocol. I havent received a confirmation or my deposit back. If you guy get an other info would you let us know? Thanks!
 
member2017 said:
Im on the same boat! I sent an email saying i wanted to withdraw my app ( a week ago)...was this sufficient? I dont know the protocol. I havent received a confirmation or my deposit back. If you guy get an other info would you let us know? Thanks!
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Did any of you call? Kelley usually answers every time. You could just call and see if they got your email.
 
TCMC (as a stand-alone) was not grandfathered into an established university or post-secondary institution. Institutions that are fully accreditation by an accreditation body recognized by the USDOE (either the Middle States Commission or LCME depending on the program) can apply and adopt a ".edu" domain name. TCMC has provisional accreditation planning to obtain full by next year by which time they can switch to the edu domain. Hope that makes sense.
 
PrimaDonna said:
Lol they invite folks from CA, NJ,FL,NY, and still accept mostly instate applicants. According to their 2013 match list many competitive residents preferred out of state residencies. Lol, can't imagine an applicant from Cali staying there after graduation. By the way, "primary care focus" is just a way for any particular school to get funds from their state or to make affiliations (even private universities engage in this practice). Then, students come and tell them they want to care for underserved, but choose more competitive residencies if their grades allow them. In the end, it's just a vicious cycle. TCMC lies to state officials about their mission, then students do the same thing. It's time to look at things realistically.
Click to expand...


Few points in reply:
1) Primary care =/= underserved. It appears you use the terms interchangeably and seem to have them mixed up.

I know specialist surgeons who went to very competitive residencies who do no primary care, but will care for underserved people.

I also know of family docs who do concierge medicine, and do only primary care for rich people.


2) Out of state competitive residencies - People may have tried to stay in PA. But when there's only 5 of a particular kind of residency in PA and matching at your 6th choice is VERY likely in fields like Derm, Optho, and Ortho, you can't really fault people for not staying in PA.

A more fair criticism would be the people doing non-competitive stuff outside of PA. If you decide to pursue family medicine in California, it's safe to bet that it's not because you couldn't get into a Pennsylvania family medicine program.

3) Out of staters add diversity. Scranton is 95% white and every class would be all white if TCMC didn't take some out of state folks (or folks from Philly, where there is already ~a half dozen med schools). I mean I wouldn't mind this, but I'm one of those people who don't care what people look like whether white, black, or purple. But with all the push for culturally competency by the ACGME, out of staters are probably necessary.
 
DaSein77 said:
4th year TCMC student here. The LIC is both good and bad. The main positive (in my opinion) is that you have a great deal of free time. For all of 3rd year, I had every Tues off and every Wed afternoon off to do as I please. This was invaluable for board study and exploring other specialties. The main negative (in my opinion) is that your 3rd year is more outpatient heavy. I've talked to dozens of other med students outside TCMC who have done the traditional 3rd year and I've concluded that 3rd year is what you make of it. If you want to slack off, you can. If you want to be a gunner, you can. My experiences would lead me to believe that an avg student going through the LIC would come out the same as one going through a traditional route. You personally might like one over the other, but you can't know until you do it. There is no way to premeditate your preference, because so much will change once you are in medical school.
I would not make any decision to attend a medical school based on the 3rd year curriculum. Find out which school that you got accepted to will help you get into the best residency. That's all that is going to matter once you are in. And no matter what school you go to, you will learn to complain about everything, if you already don't. Remember to count your blessings.
Click to expand...

I'm also a 4th year TCMCite and agree w/ my classmate. One other thing I'd like to point out regarding our 3rd year (and 4th year to a degree) is that we often work 1 on 1 with attendings because we're in an area without a lot of residencies. This can be hit or miss, but an overworked intern can also be hit or miss as a teacher at other institutions. However, in surgery for example, you will first assist cases as a TCMC 3rd year that 3rd years from other medical schools would watch from across the room.

Also, realize you have a 4th year. Our 4th year is WAY more flexible than any other school I know of and this lets you improve on perceived weak points of our LIC, or build on perceived strong points. Our 4th year requires 2 weeks ICU, 2 weeks ER, and 1 month general internal med. You also can't take more than 2 of the same thing... but I took 2 OB/GYN rotations and an OB rotation (and could have taken 2 Gyn-onc rotations and 2 urogyn rotations had I wanted to)

I personally improved on my relatively weak inpatient 3rd year medical LIC experience by taking an elective totally inpatient family medicine elective. I built on my strong 3rd year OB/GYN by taking an OB SubI where I got to first assist a twin c-section!


Finally, as always feel free to PM me. I try to be honest.
 
I want to thank all the 4th years that took the time to post their experiences here. Like I mentioned, every school has something students complain about, but its the whole picture that's necessary to see what is or isn't a good fit.

Just like with any curriculum there are pros and cons, so its good to hear from those who have experienced it that while you won't see as many or as diverse patients in 3rd year as in traditional block inpatient rotations, the freedom/flexibility of the 4th year allows you to more than make up for it.

Of all the schools that I have been to, TCMC seems to have the biggest and most numerous pros for me. Plus I heard they have a new food vendor in the building!
 
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