2012-2013 The Commonwealth Medical College Application Thread

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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Thank goodness. I'm losing my mind over not knowing where I stand.
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For all accepted, I will be glad to take your questions regarding the school, studying, testing, residency, inside tips and tricks, what the tests are like, what the clinical rotations are like, etc...

Fourth year student about to graduate and start residency

Please feel free to send me PMs


(Just refrain from asking for the "super top secret materials" because I have no easy way of putting hundreds of GB of material online... though I am agreeable to select items, but you'd have no way of knowing what you would want until you get to that point in your studying)
 
NewYorkDoctors said:
For all accepted, I will be glad to take your questions regarding the school, studying, testing, residency, inside tips and tricks, what the tests are like, what the clinical rotations are like, etc...

Fourth year student about to graduate and start residency

Please feel free to send me PMs


(Just refrain from asking for the "super top secret materials" because I have no easy way of putting hundreds of GB of material online... though I am agreeable to select items, but you'd have no way of knowing what you would want until you get to that point in your studying)
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I haven't been accepted yet, but I was wondering what your experience with the LIC was like, and if you felt it made any difference as far as being prepared for fourth year. I've been hearing mixed things about it.
 
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I hope they give acceptances today instead of the 30th... I wanna know if I am accepted or not so I can either stop studying for MCATS or GO HARD on my MCATS lol
 
gspin13 said:
I haven't been accepted yet, but I was wondering what your experience with the LIC was like, and if you felt it made any difference as far as being prepared for fourth year. I've been hearing mixed things about it.
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It's very very easy.

Pros:
Light work day.
No real expectations from the attending physicians (whom you work with directly mostly, since there are no residents and fellows here, besides the IMG mill IM residents)
Shelf exams taken all at once, you can study for Step 2 concurrently
Weekends are ALWAYS off
You get white space to sleep in (or get more surgical experience or wards/ICU experience or research if you can find any)

On this schedule, I had a TON of time to study, have fun, play around

Cons:
Lack of inpatient experience
(you only get two weeks of "bursts" for IM, surgery, anesthesia, and OBGYN as inpatient)
To counter this, use your white space time and be sure to take rotations as soon as 4th year begins. But you'll find this is vastly overrated as most PGY1 interns have no clue what they are doing themselves.

No continuity from day to day
Counter: Arrange your white space so you can spend a WHOLE day, if one of the 6 disciplines is what you want to do later on. Spend more white space days elsewhere.
Discuss with the surgeons that youcan follow a patient from admission thru surgery by modifying your schedule to fit the white space time.

It's a gimmick
(no argument here)




Bottom line:

This schedule gives you so much more free time.
Either enjoy it, or prepare yourself as hard as you can and use the extra time to your advantage.

And do not sweat the idea that "you'll be less prepared than students from real places"

You'll be less prepared than someone else who studied and practiced more than you, not because of the block vs LIC system.
 
In the past they tend to call/email those accepted earlier than the scheduled date. Has anyone heard anything from them? FYI I didn't.
 
RichardAlpert said:
They told us they will reject, wait list, or accept for this final notification date.
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I'm going to assume, though, that if you've been deferred multiple times you're most likely going to be placed on the wait list.
 
Alternate list...definitely better than rejection. Was really feeling good about this school so kinda disappointed I didn't get an acceptance. Looks like more waiting and wishing for me lol. Good luck everyone!
 
Yep, just got my official letter saying I've been placed on the alternative list. Been deferred since the fall. Second year in a row. Will have to retake the MCAT if I don't get off the waitlist:(

Anyone have any thoughts on a Letter of Intent?
 
Kaizerx7 said:
Alternate list...definitely better than rejection. Was really feeling good about this school so kinda disappointed I didn't get an acceptance. Looks like more waiting and wishing for me lol. Good luck everyone!
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You got it in an email right? When did you interview? Its definitely better than a rejection, good luck and hopefully there will be lots of waitlist movement :luck:!
 
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Yeah. It was in an email. I interviewed in early April. I'm praying for lots of waitlist movement.
 
Alternate list. Interviewed in early April. Definitely hoping for waitlist movement.

Does anybody have any information on how waitlists of previous years have fared?
 
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Waitlist. Interviewed in September. Already got into my top DO with a scholarship, so I'll be withdrawing. I would have regardless, I just wanted to see if I'd get in :p
 
Alternate list as well. Hoping for the best! :xf: Good luck everyone!
 
Do you think those that were either rejected or accepted will find out tomorrow?
 
Cuongoff said:
Do you think those that were either rejected or accepted will find out tomorrow?
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Could be. It really seems (based on the forum) that a lot of alternate list letters were sent out today. Anyone know anyone that got accepted or rejected today?
 
wsh5022 said:
Alternate list. Interviewed in early April. Definitely hoping for waitlist movement.

Does anybody have any information on how waitlists of previous years have fared?
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There was a ton of waitlist movement their very first year, but the last couple of years, not so much:( It seems to help if you actually live in one of the regions they are designed to serve, at least that is what someone said about last year's waitlist movement either at the start of this thread or the end of last year's.
 
MindTinkerer said:
There was a ton of waitlist movement their very first year, but the last couple of years, not so much:( It seems to help if you actually live in one of the regions they are designed to serve, at least that is what someone said about last year's waitlist movement either at the start of this thread or the end of last year's.
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I actually live in one of the service regions that TCMC is targeting (specifically Stroudsburg, PA). Do you suppose that TCMC has the list with region-priority or perhaps those applicants are simply ranked higher in general?
 
Cuongoff said:
Do you think those that were either rejected or accepted will find out tomorrow?
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Its possible, but honestly I think there is no way to really know. They could just be going in order of interview or they could be doing alternates first, so its hard to tell whether or not the people contacted tomorrow will be rejections, acceptances, or alternate lists.
 
Even if you don't live in a target area, it doesn't hurt to send an update. You have nothing to lose. Even if it's a losing battle you still have to try so you won't have regrets. That's how I feel.
 
Lol, I finally get a laugh at an adcom email mistake. I received that alternate list email, but the attached letter was addressed to someone else (who happened to have my initials). Good to know I'm so generic an applicant they get me mixed up with other people with my ethnicity. :laugh:

Still pretty sure I'm alt listed, though.
 
SilverCat said:
Lol, I finally get a laugh at an adcom email mistake. I received that alternate list email, but the attached letter was addressed to someone else (who happened to have my initials). Good to know I'm so generic an applicant they get me mixed up with other people with my ethnicity. :laugh:

Still pretty sure I'm alt listed, though.
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woah!!

I got the alternate list status email today as well. I already got into my top choice though.. so I guess I should have withdrawn a few weeks ago.. kinda wanted to see what would happen. OOS lowish stats.
 
Alternate list.

Why don't they just call it a wait list? too mainstream?
 
Alternated.

But I've got 2 great acceptances so I don't mind :) Do we just email to withdraw?
 
Anyone hear anything? I keep checking my email and waiting for the phone to ring but nothing and it's already 6pm EST (i think that's the right one. PA is in this time zone)
 
wsh5022 said:
I actually live in one of the service regions that TCMC is targeting (specifically Stroudsburg, PA). Do you suppose that TCMC has the list with region-priority or perhaps those applicants are simply ranked higher in general?
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I know from years in the past that they've pulled applicants off the waitlist that were NEPA residents first and foremost. TCMC is generally pretty conservative with their acceptances in that they're picking ppl who have TCMC as their first choice. This results in a waitlist that doesn't tend to move a whole lot - but every year is different so I hope those of you that were waitlisted will be able to get accepted over the next couple weeks.

Best of luck!
 
Has anyone received an email about regional campus selection or accessing the portal yet today? I believe today was the day they said we would get the information.
 
lwings said:
Has anyone received an email about regional campus selection or accessing the portal yet today? I believe today was the day they said we would get the information.
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Nope, nothing yet.
 
So, I didn't hear anything back so I emailed them. It seems the letter didn't go through. Anyways she sent me another one and I've been rejected. Good luck everyone!
 
Any idea on the size of the waitlist? I doubt they need 200 people if there's barely any movement. I highly doubt I'll get in but I'll send an update anyways. I have nothing to lose and can spare a few hours to write a LOI.
 
Thanks so much for that thorough answer. I hadn't heard much of a balanced look before. Just the tcmc admins who of course love the program and dont see the bad, and a couple students who seemed to hate it and only have bad things to say. :)
 
Camy99 said:
Alternated.

But I've got 2 great acceptances so I don't mind :) Do we just email to withdraw?
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Question to those who withdrew, did you receive a confirmation e-mail? I sent an e-mail to withdraw and have not heard back. I'm probably going to give them a call soon, May 15 is just around the corner. :eek:
 
I know we are receiving computers once we get to school, but do people have a personal computer in addition to the one the school gives us? My computer from undergrad is on the fritz and I was wondering if I should look into buying another one so I have one for personal use and one for school material. Thanks for the input
 
I remember one current student saying that he bought a new mac right before matriculating and has scarcely used it since. Maybe look into a super cheap PC laptop (especially at places like wholesale clubs) to just tide you over until then if you really need one. Or ask your friends if you can buy/borrow their old ones if they've recently gotten new ones. Good luck!
 
I actually sold the computer they made me buy and put the money toward a Mac laptop.
 
cheerios29 said:
I remember one current student saying that he bought a new mac right before matriculating and has scarcely used it since. Maybe look into a super cheap PC laptop (especially at places like wholesale clubs) to just tide you over until then if you really need one. Or ask your friends if you can buy/borrow their old ones if they've recently gotten new ones. Good luck!
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And my student host said the exact opposite: that she almost never used the school-supplied one. She said it was used almost entirely to stream tv shows and movies while she was cooking in the kitchen. So it might just be a personal preference thing.
 
gspin13 said:
And my student host said the exact opposite: that she almost never used the school-supplied one. She said it was used almost entirely to stream tv shows and movies while she was cooking in the kitchen. So it might just be a personal preference thing.
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Its definitely a personal thing. It really depends. The new laptops they give people are these really convenient ultra portable dells. They are basically dell's version of the macbook air, so they are nice and well spec-ed. You could use it for everything, or like other people said, sell it, barely use it, etc. It also doesn't have a DVD drive, so that may affect how much you use it.
 
we can sell the computers they make us buy?? I was under the impression we were paying to rent/lease them or something. Also thought the purpose of everyone having the same computer was so we could take tests on the same type of computer. If we use a different computer for testing/class purposes what's the point of forcing us to buy them?
 
The school issued computers are the ones that connect to the schools network

Keep in for the school examinations (computerized)


Sell the printer though
 
I just used the school's 'guest' network each time a test was administered. You have to have Cisco software installed on the other device. This may be too much of a headache for some.
 
Doctor Strange said:
I don't know the numbers, but TCMC is very biased towards in-state applicants, especially towards people from that particular region. The rationale is that they are trying to "solve" the doctor shortage in that area of Pennsylvania.
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As a graduate from TCMC, I will say there may be a way to take advantage of the out of state status. Essentially, you have to be a package deal. Now I have no hard data and stats crunched, but from my classmates, I can assure you a significant number of the out of staters are "packaged deals" in the sense that they fulfill other quotas (race/ethnicity, "top flight" undergraduate institution, insert other special attribute)

It seems this might have been done to meet certain quotas better... not to imply anyone undeserving got a spot, because all of the out of staters were all very competent and had the grades and application... but with such few spots (though more at coming in future years), they needed to diversify their student base as much as possible.
 
After a lot of deliberation, I withdrew from TCMC today in favor of a cheaper school. I was assigned to the South campus, so there should be a spot available there now. Hope it goes to one of you.
 
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