How legit of a school is LECOM since you can submit your SAT score if you don't have an MCAT?

[779663]

Apparently if you scored under a 495 on your MCAT or you never took it, LECOM will do this thing where they calculate your Academic Index Score (AIS) using your college GPA and your SAT or ACT score and use that for admissions.

That strikes me as very strange and now I'm concerned about the school as a whole. I applied to both Erie and Bradenton, but I didn't know this small aspect.

What are your thoughts?

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[Meeehai]

Apparently if you scored under a 495 on your MCAT or you never took it, LECOM will do this thing where they calculate your Academic Index Score (AIS) using your college GPA and your SAT or ACT score and use that for admissions.

That strikes me as very strange and now I'm concerned about the school as a whole. I applied to both Erie and Bradenton, but I didn't know this small aspect.

What are your thoughts?

I wonder how many people get accepted for having an extraordinary ACT/SAT in lieu of an MCAT. Seems strange.

 

[acapnial]

I wonder how many people get accepted for having an extraordinary ACT/SAT in lieu of an MCAT. Seems strange.

http://lecom.edu/admissions/entranc...f-osteopathic-medicine-entrance-requirements/

Looks like a 3.5 and 23 on the ACT is just eligible for the entrance requirements, but I think it's safe to assume LECOM gets enough quality applicants that they don't need to be scraping up the population of students that believe a 23 on the ACT is proof enough that they can skip the MCAT.



For the record, those were not my stats.

 

[mediator1]

By next year you'll be wishing that you were accepted there. Lecom and its other campuses by no mean are good DO programs but there will be plenty of people who are more than happy to get a seat.

 

[779663]

By next year you'll be wishing that you were accepted there. Lecom and its other campuses by no mean are good DO programs but there will be plenty of people who are more than happy to get a seat.

haha, of course! I'm not picky, any where that will have me is good enough for me. i'd go to school on mars if it meant I'd be able to match into the US hahaha

One question for you though, why do you say that LECOM and its campuses are by no means good DO programs?

 

[mediator1]

haha, of course! I'm not picky, any where that will have me is good enough for me. i'd go to school on mars if it meant I'd be able to match into the US hahaha

One question for you though, why do you say that LECOM and its campuses are by no means good DO programs?

I've been to the campus and by the impression I get from many people here on sdn. Also came across many things about lecom on here..

 

[deleted731525]

I applied last cycle with a 3.65 and 510 and didn't even get an interview. Lecom gets a ton of apps so its still pretty competitive even if they aren't focused as much on stats.

 

[change4med]

3.3gpa 30mcat also no II from LECOM! Pretty jealous of their tuition!
Idk remember reading anyone who has gotten in w/ AIS but I'm sure it happens (maybe they're just a bad test taker?)

 

[779663]

I applied last cycle with a 3.65 and 510 and didn't even get an interview. Lecom gets a ton of apps so its still pretty competitive even if they aren't focused as much on stats.

Why do you think that is? Those are fantastic stats for their school. Do you have some terrible flaw in your app that they wouldn't even offer you an interview?

 

[deleted731525]

Why do you think that is? Those are fantastic stats for their school. Do you have some terrible flaw in your app that they wouldn't even offer you an interview?

I don't think my app was bad(I got interviews at every other school I applied to, all which are more competitive stat wise than LECOM)
I think its a combo of a few things
-I applied a little late(complete in October I believe)
-I didn't go into a lot of detail on my ECs in my primary and the secondary at LECOM doesn't have any essays so I couldn't expand there like you can for most other schools
-I didn't have a lot of activities and LECOM values that a lot
-they get a ton of apps and have a slight preference for people from the area

 

[miakip]

They only look at your SAT/ACT if they want you for an interview, meaning that everything else on your application needs to be spot on and competitive.

 

[MADD!!!]

There are ppl that get into many medical schools, both MD and DO, who don't take the MCAT for various small special programs they run. One of them, ICAHN Mt. Sinai, which has an MCAT average of 36, has a select group of students every year who are accepted who never took the MCAT. Pretty crazy huh

 

[Hospitalized]

I applied last cycle with a 3.65 and 510 and didn't even get an interview. Lecom gets a ton of apps so its still pretty competitive even if they aren't focused as much on stats.

Yield protection.

 

[futurexray]

Great stats are no guarantee at any school for an interview. It can be timing, are you a legacy, how early you get everything completed. School that get alot of applications can pick and choose who they invite.

 

[bingutothetop]

They only look at your SAT/ACT if they want you for an interview, meaning that everything else on your application needs to be spot on and competitive.

I'm pretty sure you fill out your scores in the secondary app, if they want you for an interview then they ask for an official score report to confirm your reported scores.

 

[ChrisMack390]

There are ppl that get into many medical schools, both MD and DO, who don't take the MCAT for various small special programs they run. One of them, ICAHN Mt. Sinai, which has an MCAT average of 36, has a select group of students every year who are accepted who never took the MCAT. Pretty crazy huh

That is very different. Getting into those programs, or BS/MD programs, means you are already a superstar.

 

[studentdocftw]

FWIW, I applied to LECOM-B and was accepted with a 514/3.7, though I did have 2 past retakes with 2 28s.

 

[hopefulstudent55]

.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I don't think my app was bad(I got interviews at every other school I applied to, all which are more competitive stat wise than LECOM)
I think its a combo of a few things
-I applied a little late(complete in October I believe)
-I didn't go into a lot of detail on my ECs in my primary and the secondary at LECOM doesn't have any essays so I couldn't expand there like you can for most other schools
-I didn't have a lot of activities and LECOM values that a lot
-they get a ton of apps and have a slight preference for people from the area

I will add a few things since I attended LECOM:
1. They like a great story and reinvention
2. They like diversity and pride themselves in having students from every state
3. They like the older, more mature crowd (about half my class was over 30)
4. They like students who have lived ( worked different jobs, military, families)
5. They like students who are going to respect the rules and not complain.

 

[deleted731525]

I will add a few things since I attended LECOM:
1. They like a great story and reinvention
2. They like diversity and pride themselves in having students from every state
3. They like the older, more mature crowd (about half my class was over 30)
4. They like students who have lived ( worked different jobs, military, families)
5. They like students who are going to respect the rules and not complain.

Well I would say 2, 3, 4, 5 and possibly 1(more reinvention than great story) apply to me. So your guess is as good as mine as to why I didnt even get an II. This stuff can be random.

 

[ortnakas]

I get the feeling that LECOM's AIS is for students who would be great candidate and fall into a few of @cabinbuilder 's categories, with a valid reason to have a subpar or no MCAT. I don't think it's intended to be a quick-and-easy fix for applicants to get around the MCAT-- they still want to recruit the best class they can get.

 

[BeMD13]

I applied last cycle with a 3.65 and 510 and didn't even get an interview. Lecom gets a ton of apps so its still pretty competitive even if they aren't focused as much on stats.

Your MCAT was too high for LECOM.

 

[deleted407021]

Your MCAT was too high for LECOM.

Ehh, no reason to think that. There are many possible reasons, or combinations thereof, that he/she didn't get an II.

510 is good, but not yield protection good, certainly.

 

[Ioannes Paulus]

I will add a few things since I attended LECOM:
1. They like a great story and reinvention
2. They like diversity and pride themselves in having students from every state
3. They like the older, more mature crowd (about half my class was over 30)
4. They like students who have lived ( worked different jobs, military, families)
5. They like students who are going to respect the rules and not complain.

You think they "get" all of that from a 30 minute group interview with 6 candidates per group? They don't even have secondary essays to figure all that out.

 

[hallowmann]

Your MCAT was too high for LECOM.

My MCAT was above his and I'm at LECOM so... I'm also not the only one here that had an MCAT higher than his.

I'm sure it's more to do with the things he mentioned (late app, not a lot of ECs, they get the 2nd most apps of any DO school, etc.).

 

[cabinbuilder]

You think they "get" all of that from a 30 minute group interview with 6 candidates per group? They don't even have secondary essays to figure all that out.

Well, I would hope that you would be able to articulate most of those things in your personal statement. That's what I did.

 

[Promethean]

Your MCAT was too high for LECOM.

BS. My 37 (equivalent to 517) wasn't too high. They don't screen out high scores.

Stats aren't everything. Maybe something they read in the PS or a LOR rubbed them the wrong way... or just didn't strike the exact chord they were looking for. No one can say why exactly they passed on a given student. They get many thousands of applications and have to narrow it down to just a few hundred seats. Some people just aren't going to get to interview.

 

[Promethean]

Well, I would hope that you would be able to articulate most of those things in your personal statement. That's what I did.

Exactly.

I try to explain to people who are coming for interviews that the interview day is almost entirely a check to make sure that you are friendly, personable, and capable of looking professional. They are checking to see that you work well in groups, that you listen when others are speaking, and that when you take your turn to speak, that you can communicate in a way that furthers the conversation. If you get to that point, it means that they already like your story and how you look on paper. The interview is your opportunity to show that you aren't a cold, soulless, statbot. Relaxing, smiling, and having a few interpersonal skills are the most critical aspects of a successful interview day.

 

[deleted245139]

I loved my education there. That said, I did PBL, and it requires a but of self motivation and a lot of organization. That coupled w low tuition for a private school.... tough to beat. I'd choose it again.

 

[Promethean]

Back to the point.

The legitimacy of LECOM has nothing to do with its admission requirements. It is all about outcomes.

If LECOM let in students with even lower stats, etc, and still turned out the same consistently high board scores and impressive match lists, they would not be at all less legitimate. If any thing, that would speak even more to the quality of the education on offer there.

I know quite a few LECOM grads, several of whom entered competitive specialties, including surgical subspecialties. I, personally, want primary care, and LECOM has given me a way to get through medical school and into a family med residency in just 3 years--one year faster that I could have done anywhere else. That is one year less of student loans, one year more of attending salary in my career.

That, my friends, is what you call legit.

 

[hallowmann]

BS. My 37 (equivalent to 517) wasn't too high. They don't screen out high scores.

Stats aren't everything. Maybe something they read in the PS or a LOR rubbed them the wrong way... or just didn't strike the exact chord they were looking for. No one can say why exactly they passed on a given student. They get many thousands of applications and have to narrow it down to just a few hundred seats. Some people just aren't going to get to interview.

Exactly.

I try to explain to people who are coming for interviews that the interview day is almost entirely a check to make sure that you are friendly, personable, and capable of looking professional. They are checking to see that you work well in groups, that you listen when others are speaking, and that when you take your turn to speak, that you can communicate in a way that furthers the conversation. If you get to that point, it means that they already like your story and how you look on paper. The interview is your opportunity to show that you aren't a cold, soulless, statbot. Relaxing, smiling, and having a few interpersonal skills are the most critical aspects of a successful interview day.

I agree with both of these. I also want to make it clear that this probably the case at every med school.

You don't know exactly what gets you that acceptance. Its a crapshoot. You can modify some factors to make an acceptance somewhere more likely, but at the end of the day there's an awful lot out of your control that you simply don't know about.

Work hard, try your best, be yourself on interviews, and apply early and broadly.

 

[hopefulstudent55]

Do we know if the AIS actually worked for people?

 

[Shmoclo]

i had a 37 mcat and got waitlisted at lecom. i think it s one of the harder schools to get into bc of the volume of apps it gets.

 

[hopefulstudent55]

i had a 37 mcat and got waitlisted at lecom. i think it s one of the harder schools to get into bc of the volume of apps it gets.

Post interview? What was the rest of your app/stats like if you don't mind sharing

 

[Shmoclo]

Post interview? What was the rest of your app/stats like if you don't mind sharing

3.45/37

shadowing, research, volunteer.

It was my first interview though I did terrible. their interview is tough though since it is in a group.

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

That and LECOM tends to taking a lot of their own students from FL.

 

[Kkshake]

Well, the way the school explained it is that the MCAT is essentially a useless score that is not at all an indicator of success in medical school. So I think it's pretty cool that they accept AIS...but in all actuality, they know that almost all that apply are going to be applying to other schools, so they're going to see your MCAT scores anyways.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

They've had some of the top board scores in the country for the past 9 years and people still give this school crap. I don't get it. They showed us the match list from last year when I was there last week and they had plenty of matches in highly competitive specialties. Plus they have cheap tuition. What else could you possibly ask for?

They're clearly doing something right, and doing it better than a large majority of schools. What gives?


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[Ioannes Paulus]

Did they also tell you at more that they have a 15% Step 2 failure rate? That's about 80 students. That's a ridiculous number and it's safe to say that the number will only go up because the Florida campus lost most of their rotation spots in the state last summer and the Erie campus is expanding their class size.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

Did they also tell you at more that they have a 15% Step 2 failure rate? That's about 80 students. That's a ridiculous number and it's safe to say that the number will only go up because the Florida campus lost most of their rotation spots in the state last summer and the Erie campus is expanding their class size.

Is there any reason for such a big dip from step 1 to step 2?


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[Kkshake]

They're right, the COMLEX 2 PE scores seem to be declining, however, COMLEX 1, COMLEX 2 CE scores, and COMLEX 3 scores have all been above 95% pass rate

http://lecom.edu/about-lecom/lecom-accreditation/lecom-comlex-pass-rates/