2015-2016 The Commonwealth Medical College Application Thread

Started by Ismet
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ciestar said:
I can definitely see this being an issue at the West Campus...nothing is localized at all. Lots of travel
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Hey Ciestar,

They have actually cut down the # of students in the West Campus 2/2 the new campus in Sayre opening up. But still, there is driving involved. You may live in Williamsport, but have to drive to Bloomsburg, which can be a pain in the ass.

If you are accepted, I would check off Williamsport (west campus) as the lowest campus. The infrastructure in that rural region is not able to sustain a good inpatient experience. I would put Sayre campus & North campus as the ones where you want your 3rd year to be. Most people do their entire fourth year in Scranton (north campus)--minus the one to five away audition rotations that everyone does.
 
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winterwind_23 said:
Interview invite! What's the best way to get to TCMC? I'll be flying in from California!
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Fly from whatever airport in CA you are from, and fly into AVP (Wilkes-Barre). You can rent a car there and drive to Scranton (~10 miles), or you could get a shuttle to the Hilton Scranton if you are staying there. They also will shuttle you over to the school the morning of if you want.
 
fakedoctor123 said:
Interview Invite! 3.9/29.

do you guys know what the best way is to travel from TCMC to Thomas Jefferson?
My interview dates for these two schools are 2 days apart, and I wondering how I can get to Philly from Scanton with the best and cheapest way. Thank you!
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Rent a car, and drive from Scranton to Philly. It's pretty simple... 80% of the time you are on the 476-South Turnpike (Bring sure to bring cash to pay for tolls). Most cars & your phone will likely have GPS...
 
winterwind_23 said:
Just booked my flight to AVP! How far is AVP from the TCMC campus? I'm getting in Sunday afternoon, and my interview is Monday. Will I need to rent a car to get around on the Sunday (from AVP airport to hotel, from hotel to campus)? Or can I get along fine without a car in Scranton?
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AVP is ~10 miles from the TCMC campus. It's an easy drive to get there. If you get there Sunday afternoon, you could book a room at the Hilton downtown Scranton, and they have a shuttle that can pick you up if you'd like. Also, the shuttle can drop you off at TCMC (~1/2 mile walk). Or, you could get your own car, when you drive to your other interview. They have a few places to eat downtown, but don't expect much 🙂.
 
nycement1 said:
Hey Ciestar,

They have actually cut down the # of students in the West Campus 2/2 the new campus in Sayre opening up. But still, there is driving involved. You may live in Williamsport, but have to drive to Bloomsburg, which can be a pain in the ass.

If you are accepted, I would check off Williamsport (west campus) as the lowest campus. The infrastructure in that rural region is not able to sustain a good inpatient experience. I would put Sayre campus & North campus as the ones where you want your 3rd year to be. Most people do their entire fourth year in Scranton (north campus)--minus the one to five away audition rotations that everyone does.
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Im quite familiar with the area haha tons of family there...only reason for ranking it higher for me
 
ciestar said:
Im quite familiar with the area haha tons of family there...only reason for ranking it higher for me
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I don't know if I'd rank Williamsport higher than the others due to family (unless it's your wife or husband or something). The campus really doesn't have the infrastructure for a good inpatient experience, and you'd learn more clinical stuff in the other campuses. It's only one year away from your family (3rd year), as you can go back 4th year and finish the year there.

Up to you, though. Just thought I'd give my opinion 🙂
 
Is there a car rental place within walking distance of TCMC? Or would I have to go all the way out to airport (AVP) to rent a car?
 
winterwind_23 said:
Is there a car rental place within walking distance of TCMC? Or would I have to go all the way out to airport (AVP) to rent a car?
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Enterprise Rent-a-car is about a 1/3 mile walk from TCMC--it's on wyoming street.. search for it on google. Make reservations, obviously.
winterwind_23 said:
Also, does TCMC have a student host program for interviewees? Just wondering before I book my hotel.
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They should. Give the office a call.
 
So I'm a clueless out-of-stater (more like out of country). Scranton and the rest of Pennsylvania get a lot of bad publicity for being a vortex of negative emotions. I understand that I shouldn't get too caught up in the media, but internet boards seem to also get a kick out of criticizing Scranton.

Can any philly natives here comment about their opinion of living in Scranton?
 
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Holmwood said:
So I'm a clueless out-of-stater (more like out of country). Scranton and the rest of Pennsylvania get a lot of bad publicity for being a vortex of negative emotions. I understand that I shouldn't get too caught up in the media, but internet boards seem to also get a kick out of criticizing Scranton.

Can any philly natives here comment about their opinion of living in Scranton?
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we im a PA resident and Pittsburgh, PA which is 5hrs west of scranton is rated as one of the best cities in the US. I have a few friends that live in Scranton and they say it is a great area to live and fairly inexpensive compared to philly, NYC, etc. I am not sure what negativity you are referring to but there is a lot to do in scranton. Not just a boring town lol
 
Gregory House the real MD said:
we im a PA resident and Pittsburgh, PA which is 5hrs west of scranton is rated as one of the best cities in the US. I have a few friends that live in Scranton and they say it is a great area to live and fairly inexpensive compared to philly, NYC, etc. I am not sure what negativity you are referring to but there is a lot to do in scranton. Not just a boring town lol
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http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/business/study-scranton-wilkes-barre-no-1-in-unhappiness-1.1724490
Likely, those who participated in the survey might have volunteer bias. Or it could just be a phase the town is going through to transition from it's mining town history. Dunno.

Even so, it's nice to hear some good things about Scranton and Pennsylvania as a whole. I read in the other thread that the people at Scranton were awesome and approachable, so when I saw that survey I was perplexed... which is why I wanted confirmation, lol.
 
Holmwood said:
So I'm a clueless out-of-stater (more like out of country). Scranton and the rest of Pennsylvania get a lot of bad publicity for being a vortex of negative emotions. I understand that I shouldn't get too caught up in the media, but internet boards seem to also get a kick out of criticizing Scranton.

Can any philly natives here comment about their opinion of living in Scranton?
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Eh. I live like 5-10 minutes for Scranton. so, I can give you the real lowdown. I am kind of afraid to criticize this school, cause I am applying here and I hope ( crosses fingers) I get in, but there's really nothing to do in Scranton. it's an old, forgotten town that has seen better days, and after the coal boom, well all the business and the young people left and well, there's not much. We have a college, so that brings some youth into the community. But we're very much aging and graying. Late at night, there is not much to do. Ethnic diversity is not that great, you really need a car to get around or else and well, we have some nice nature and stuff, but yeah, it's nothing like new york.

However, there is a martz trailways bus to get to nyc ( it's only like, well 100 dollars for a round trip) so eh. If i didn't have family here, I probably would hate it. But lucky, my family is here, so it's ok.
 
Holmwood said:
So I'm a clueless out-of-stater (more like out of country). Scranton and the rest of Pennsylvania get a lot of bad publicity for being a vortex of negative emotions. I understand that I shouldn't get too caught up in the media, but internet boards seem to also get a kick out of criticizing Scranton.

Can any philly natives here comment about their opinion of living in Scranton?
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I live in Philly now after attending school in Scranton. Very, very different. Both have its advantages and disadvantages. I found Scranton to be a little depressing. Not the school but the area. Reminds me in places of an abandon mill town but I found the people to be very humble and friendly. Philadelphia has its beautiful places and a very, very busy metropolis. Some areas are better than others. I am attending medical school on the outskirts of center city and feel very safe. No problems to date. More cultural museums, theaters, entertainment and diversity in the Philly area obviously. Many towns and cities in the area of Scranton have changed with the economy. Just my observation. Crime rate, higher in Philadelphia. That is the downfall but have to be city savvy to all of it! Pennsylvania is a Beautiful state! Silence in ER summed up the Scranton area EXACTLY!!! Not much to do in Scranton!!!!
 
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silvermecca said:
Pennsylvania is a Beautiful state!
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That's a sentiment I can get behind!

Honestly, if there was a school like Hofstra in maybe the outskirts of Philly, I'd apply there early decision and never look back.

The trees, the landscape, the forest, it's kind of like a tiny emerald isle. and well, in the summer, it's kind of breathtaking if you're a nature sort of person. I am kind of hoping to stay in PA. Applied to drexel, temple, upitt, upenn (ridiculous reaches), tcmc and jefferson. Out of all these, I am leaning towards jefferson, just because upitt and upenn are school I have 0% chance of getting into and temple is way too close to a dangerous part of the city for me.
 
Holmwood said:
So I'm a clueless out-of-stater (more like out of country). Scranton and the rest of Pennsylvania get a lot of bad publicity for being a vortex of negative emotions. I understand that I shouldn't get too caught up in the media, but internet boards seem to also get a kick out of criticizing Scranton.

Can any philly natives here comment about their opinion of living in Scranton?
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MD1 here. Just wanted to give my two cents on the city.

I actually really like it here. I'm a short walk from the school and only a 15 minute walk or so from downtown. There's quite a few bars downtown and the nice thing about Scranton being a small city is the fact that everything is walkable. There's two colleges in downtown Scranton and several more on the outskirts so most of the times the bars I've been to have been pretty packed. You never have to worry about cabs or anything if you can't drive after a night out. There's tons of really good restaurants: Thai, Indian, middle eastern, Italian (soooo much Italian), etc.

There's a square downtown where they hold events and there seems to be something going on every other weekend. This week there was an Italian festival with dozens of food vendors and live music etc.

It's a really quick drive to all the necessities: target, Walmart, supermarkets, a mall, clothing, etc. everything commercial is basically on one convenient strip in Dickson city.

Everyone is so nice, also. Just my own experience but worth noting.

When people are always complaining about small cities having nothing to do I never really can understand what they're looking for. How many bars can you go to in one night? How many Broadway shows do you really plan on attending? You're going to be a medical student and there is more than plenty to do here with the free time you'll have.
 
Thanks for the input you guys! I decided to interview here after all. Just scheduled myself for the end of September and will be walking around town afterwards to see the parks and Kirby center.

I'll trade the glamour of city life for the nice people and relaxed atmosphere any day. : )
 
Submitted 8/3; ready for review 8/5... absolutely nothing...simply disheartening... 🙁
 
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CharmanderMD said:
MD1 here. Just wanted to give my two cents on the city.

I actually really like it here. I'm a short walk from the school and only a 15 minute walk or so from downtown. There's quite a few bars downtown and the nice thing about Scranton being a small city is the fact that everything is walkable. There's two colleges in downtown Scranton and several more on the outskirts so most of the times the bars I've been to have been pretty packed. You never have to worry about cabs or anything if you can't drive after a night out. There's tons of really good restaurants: Thai, Indian, middle eastern, Italian (soooo much Italian), etc.

There's a square downtown where they hold events and there seems to be something going on every other weekend. This week there was an Italian festival with dozens of food vendors and live music etc.

It's a really quick drive to all the necessities: target, Walmart, supermarkets, a mall, clothing, etc. everything commercial is basically on one convenient strip in Dickson city.

Everyone is so nice, also. Just my own experience but worth noting.

When people are always complaining about small cities having nothing to do I never really can understand what they're looking for. How many bars can you go to in one night? How many Broadway shows do you really plan on attending? You're going to be a medical student and there is more than plenty to do here with the free time you'll have.
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I'd also like to chime in here. If you can't live outside of a big city, Scranton is not for you. There are some nice bars downtown and the drinks are much cheaper than the city. If you really want to be around the younger crowd, you can hang around the U of scranton. There are a few good restaurants around the area: Mayuri (indian), Italo's (mexican), Sambuca (italian), Savory maza (middle eastern), etc. A little lacking on good asian food. The italian food here is ok... not amazing like everybody thinks.

There really is everything you need in scranton & dickson city.

I'd also like to say that the living here is VERY cheap. You can find a decent place for $350 a month. However, our cost of attendance is also ridiculously high.
 
I just came back from the interview. I dont know how it went🙁 Whats the process like after the interview? I want to go there sooooo BADLY.. Also do they care about legacy? my cousin went to school there!
 
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Philmarcat said:
I just came back from the interview. I dont know how it went🙁 Whats the process like after the interview? I want to go there sooooo BADLY.. Also do they care about legacy? my cousin went to school there!
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How long were the interviews? How many were there? With whom did you interview? Was it conversational or was it direct Q&A? Did you ask them any questions? How was the campus? How were the students?
 
Monophasic said:
How long were the interviews? How many were there? With whom did you interview? Was it conversational or was it direct Q&A? Did you ask them any questions? How was the campus? How were the students?
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Interviews are set-up to be 30 minutes. There should be 2. One faculty member & one student (usually a 2nd year). Usually conversational, especially w/ student. You may ask any questions. Campus is small compared to other schools but very new. Students are like any other students 🙂
 
Would anyone who's interviewed already mind sharing their experience(s)? I have mine in about two weeks and am trying to get an idea of what to expect.
 
Hey guys! I hope some of you can help me out. I submitted my primary in August and never received a secondary so I emailed admissions and they said they sent me a secondary. They said they were having some issues with other people from my same school (psu) and to switch my email preference. I did that and had admissions send another one but I never received that one either. I've done all of the troubleshooting with filters/spam/etc and can't find the emails anywhere. I'm curious if anyone else has had this issue or might be able to help.

If someone can send me the email id and title line, I would appreciate it
 
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Lark27 said:
Hey guys! I hope some of you can help me out. I submitted my primary in August and never received a secondary so I emailed admissions and they said they sent me a secondary. They said they were having some issues with other people from my same school (psu) and to switch my email preference. I did that and had admissions send another one but I never received that one either. I've done all of the troubleshooting with filters/spam/etc and can't find the emails anywhere. I'm curious if anyone else has had this issue or might be able to help.

If someone can send me the email id and title line, I would appreciate it
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It comes from "[email protected]" and the subject line is "TCMC: Secondary Application Invite"
 
Anyone need to get to Philadelphia from Scranton on Monday 9/28? I rented a car to get to Philly after my TCMC interview, and hoping to split the cost with someone! PM me if so!
 
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