so I relied on this thread for interview tips, now I will give back to the community
December 3rd
The Group Interview
6 applicants and 2 faculty members. They asked us scenario questions and one about how you will fit with PBL (can't go into specifics
). I was a little bit nervous, but it was typical. Some questions I couldn't think of a good answer quickly, so I just added to someone's comment. The faculties were nice and laid back. I think everyone did well in our group. Before the interview, we were assigned seats according to our group. So we got to talk to each other a little bit. The other applicants were nice and it was not hard to talk to them during the interview.
The one-on-one interview
It was as fast as some of the previous posts mentioned, but I did not feel rushed at all. I had plenty of time to think and develop my answers to the fullest. It was really laid back and enjoyable. For me, this session was easier and more fun than the group interview. (now, don't get me wrong. The group interview was not too difficult either). In total, I estimate about 8-10 minutes for this session?? The first question was a written prompt. You have to read it and answer it. The second was why osteopathic medicine. And then you get to ask them your questions. I don't think the prompt was hard, because they leave a huge clue to lead you in the right direction. Some people had two on one, I had just one faculty interviewing me.
What is PBL?
It's self-directed learning. You basically outline the chapters of interest with your group or on your own. THen you go and read from the textbook. The second-year told us that it was about 4-6 hours of studying a day. They all reassured us that it was definitely do-able. Big take away was that you do not study all day every day. You apparently get used to it by the second semester. The students collaborate on group notes, I saw a shared google doc during the PBL session. The majority of PBL is learning on your own by using the textbook. The group discussion is actually a small portion, it's just there to make sure everyone understands the reading. At least, that's what I gathered. The PBL session itself was enjoyable. The instructor not only discussed the concepts but give insights to procedures and little tips from the instructor's medical practice experience. So there's more to PBL than this but the main idea is self-directed learning and reading the textbook.
Environment
The building itself is very clean and modern. No food or drinks allowed anywhere except in the cafeteria. The PBL classrooms are perfect for the number of students and instructor in the room. The Lakewood Ranch community is nice. It did not feel too quiet despite far away from the city. You can drive to Tampa or st. pete for fun stuff, if you have time.... There is a pond in the back with alligators. The non-Floridians were surprised about this.
It seems a lot of people rent at the apartments nearby but there are many other options that are like 15 minutes away. The students said that they don't really come to campus unless they have a class or want to study here. They usually study at other places like in their apartments, cafe, etc.
The infamous security guard
My experience with the security guard was actually good. He was not rude at all. I wouldn't worry about this.
COMLEX Scores
So they gave us the average score from previous years and showed us their score ranking. Class of 2020, LECOM Bradenton level 1 mean was 562. Class of 2019, it was 592 (this was an outlier to me). Class 2018, 552. Class of 2017, 551. The first time pass rate was 98%-99% consistently. The campus score ranking was 1st and 2nd most of the time. This data was assessed by a third party. There is a merger coming up and they did admit that there will be a slight decreased in match rate because of it, at least initially. Also the chart they provided scale up to 600 on the y-axis but that is not the maximum score on the COMLEX.
This cycle status
The administrator said that about 30 spots were filled. I think the class size is almost 200. I counted about 26 candidates that day.
*please take everything i say with a grain of salt. i try to be accurate but i'm still human.
