Lake Erie - Bradenton (LECOM-Bradenton) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

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Quick question for everyone who has already interviewed!
Is there any place to place your luggage on interview day? I'll have to head out back to the airport right after the interview and am wondering if they're accommodating about these kinds of things
If you packed light I bet the security guard would keep it in his office for you

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Hey guys!
Got an interview for this coming Monday (2/2/15). Anyone else have the same one?
 
Anyone staying at the lakewood ranch holiday inn for tomorrows interview (1/30) wanna get dinner?
 
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To Any current M1s:

A relative of mine has a house 45 min from campus, and is willing to let me stay there next year for free. Is this a feasible commute?
 
Was complete in October, but freaked out when I got a 25 on my sept MCAT and signed up and retook it the last week in jan. Lecom wrote me and told me my file is on hold till after I get my jan score. I'm thinking it'll be way too late then to even be considered for an interview. Should I even keep my hopes up?
 
Was complete in October, but freaked out when I got a 25 on my sept MCAT and signed up and retook it the last week in jan. Lecom wrote me and told me my file is on hold till after I get my jan score. I'm thinking it'll be way too late then to even be considered for an interview. Should I even keep my hopes up?
At this point it would be very hard, although still possible.
 
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At this point it would be very hard, although still possible. To give you a reference I received a 26 on my mcat and got in lol but I also did apply early and had a very unique extracurricular activity

What was your activity?
 
I received my acceptance via the mail on January 20th! Good luck fellow applicants!:cat:
 
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ACCEPTED! To all those who read this: NEVER give up!

COMPLETE: Mid-Nov
II: Early Dec
IA: 1/30
Accepted: 2/3
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Accepted!!! Interview 1/30.

Like another poster mentioned, I think they have an idea of who they'll accept -- I spoke well but didn't get much time to speak during the group interview due to others speaking over me and thought I'd be waitlisted/denied. Future II's, PLEASE be good to your peers and try to allow one another to take turns speaking! I know it may feel like the hunger games but someone in my group kept stealing the floor and it left me with a bad impression.
 
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I had a group interview before LECOM and this one guy always talking over everyone, he consistently interrupted the others mid sentence and just went on and on on this crazy nonsense tangent. Basically ruined it for the entire group and made himself look like a real jackass.
 
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Anyone interview 1-30 not have their portal update to decision made? I will be calling Monday but I'm just curious. Thanks.
 
In Orlando today interview tomorrow. Absolutely beautiful day...in my opinion at least, everyone else has pants on!
 
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Long time lurker; made an account because I really loved LECOM-B. I haven't seen much movement here in a while, but I just interviewed Monday 2/9. According to them, the class is about half full. Really friendly group of applicants, group interview was odd (heard many were laid back, but mine happened to be very intense and filled with odd existential questions, with a heavy emphasis on vaccination ethics). Haven't heard anything (status just says "under review post interview") other than a request for fall grades, though according to Ron Shively that is good news? Loved the school and the area is fantastic, I sent a letter of intent and am hoping for an acceptance sometime next week! Good luck to everyone :)
 
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Interviewed Monday 2/9... Got put on the alternate list. Sent in a letter of intent and will stay positive! Anybody know how the alternate list is going right now? Like the chances of getting accepted at this point?
 
To Any current M1s:

A relative of mine has a house 45 min from campus, and is willing to let me stay there next year for free. Is this a feasible commute?

I wouldn't live that far but there are a few people I know of who do it. Waking up for a 7:30 or 8:00 AM class is hard enough as it is living 5 minutes away for me and I like to study on campus. I don't know how bad traffic is for you but saving 10K a year or so might be worth it.

Interviewed Monday 2/9... Got put on the alternate list. Sent in a letter of intent and will stay positive! Anybody know how the alternate list is going right now? Like the chances of getting accepted at this point?

There is a lot of waitlist movement after interviews are done at the end of April and afterwards.
 
Has anyone who interviewed 2/13 heard good news?
My portal looks pretty much the same, but I'm still a little confused about how we were supposed to find out... I thought a portal change to "Decision made" yesterday meant waitlist or rejection. I'm fairly certain that "No news is good news" for now, and that we would get a phone call in 2-4 weeks if we got in. However, I could have misheard the info.
 
My portal looks pretty much the same, but I'm still a little confused about how we were supposed to find out... I thought a portal change to "Decision made" yesterday meant waitlist or rejection. I'm fairly certain that "No news is good news" for now, and that we would get a phone call in 2-4 weeks if we got in. However, I could have misheard the info.


My portal stated that a decision had been made and I would receive an official letter within 30 days. I was worried that I had been wait listed or rejected. After a week of waiting for my letter (and stressing) I called LECOM and they shared my status with me. I was accepted into the class (and of course, I received my letter later that same day). If you have any immediate concerns you can always call them; they are very helpful.
 
My portal stated that a decision had been made and I would receive an official letter within 30 days. I was worried that I had been wait listed or rejected. After a week of waiting for my letter (and stressing) I called LECOM and they shared my status with me. I was accepted into the class (and of course, I received my letter later that same day). If you have any immediate concerns you can always call them; they are very helpful.

When did you interview? and more importantly, CONGRATULATIONS :)
 
Accepted early today interviewed 2/9. Going to turn down the offer for other options. Best of luck to everybody hope you all get good news soon.
 
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I'm interviewing on March 6th. I"ve already interviewed at the Seton Hill Campus back in early February (still waiting on a response), but really enjoyed my experience there. Is the interview experience the same here?

Also any idea where to stay? The list gave me was pretty expensive, with every hotel being around $100 a night.
 
Offered an alternate spot today (interview 2/9), wondering what they're looking for in terms of periodic updates? Thanks!
 
Offered an alternate spot today (interview 2/9), wondering what they're looking for in terms of periodic updates? Thanks!

How did they contact you? I thought at this point post interview we were in the clear.
 
Is alternate spot the same as waitlisted?

Yes - pretty much, except I don't think there's much ranking to it.

How did they contact you? I thought at this point post interview we were in the clear.

Once they've made a decision and your status changes they will mail (snail mail) you the decision, but you can call to ask as well.
 
I called as soon as my status changed, and they told me immediately so I was able to secure a spot on the list. Not sure how I would find out if I am accepted off the alternate list though, anyone know? Also to whom to I send updates (and what do you put in them)? Annette or Ron? Both? Thank you!
 
I called as soon as my status changed, and they told me immediately so I was able to secure a spot on the list. Not sure how I would find out if I am accepted off the alternate list though, anyone know? Also to whom to I send updates (and what do you put in them)? Annette or Ron? Both? Thank you!
Send to both lol and I remember Ron saying something along the lines of "if you want to get out of the alternate list , send me a letter of intent" lol hope that helps
 
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I called as soon as my status changed, and they told me immediately so I was able to secure a spot on the list. Not sure how I would find out if I am accepted off the alternate list though, anyone know? Also to whom to I send updates (and what do you put in them)? Annette or Ron? Both? Thank you!
I am also on the alternate list. Annette said to send in those letters and updates ASAP. She also said to check in about once a month because there's lots of movement. Hope that helps and good luck!!
 
Really hoping & praying to receive an II here. Is it certain that they are currently only half full ?
Also anyone know if they are receptive to pre-interview LOIs?

I'm not sure if they're receptive, but I would wait until after you've interviewed to send an LOI. Unless you've visited the school before, and have a good understanding of their curriculum, etc, it wouldn't seem very genuine to send an LOI saying that it's your favorite school. Just my 0.02
 
Hey guys, I have an interview on March 9th. I was wondering about how to send my updates (fall grades)? Should I just email Annette the classes I took and what I got on them? Or should I just send them my transcripts (even though it might take for eva via snail mail) ?
Thanks!
 
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Hey guys, I have an interview on March 9th. I was wondering about how to send my updates (fall grades)? Should I just email Annette the classes I took and what I got on them? Or should I just send them my transcripts (even though it might take for eva via snail mail) ?
Thanks!
I let her know what my grades were and then she just asked for a screen shot via email for conformation. I dont know what they prefer but thats what I did.
 
When I interviewed I just brought a hard copy of my fall grades and gave it to Ron at the end of the day. However he also said that students could email them in. I just wanted to do a hard copy to be 100% sure that they received it.
 
Interviewing March 27th! For anyone who interviewed please let me know what you thought!
 
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Interviewed here recently.

It was a pretty barren place - nothing on the walls, no water or food outside of the cafeteria downstairs, no professors with open doors (the curriculum is problem based). The people who gave presentations were very no nonsense and serious ("Many people have failed out - you are the only roadblock to your success! You are competing with the person next to you from day one!").

The last presenter said that most students only come to campus for a few hours each week and then peace out to study at home, so make of that what you will.

PBL looked like it wouldn't jive with my learning style. What we saw was a group of students rifing through their text books suggesting different explanations, with no one emerging as a clear leader. It didn't appear to be all that efficient. Apparently it can be incredibly effective for students who are strong independent learners. Different strokes.

It's the type of school you'd feel at home at if you have the personality type that would be comfortable in the military.

I'm fortunate to have some options, but if it were my only acceptance I would certainly attend. If you're interviewing soon, good luck! It wasn't a stressful one at all.
 
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Interviewed here recently.

It was a pretty barren place - nothing on the walls, no water or food outside of the cafeteria downstairs, no professors with open doors (the curriculum is problem based). The people who gave presentations were very no nonsense and serious ("Many people have failed out - you are the only roadblock to your success! You are competing with the person next to you from day one!").

The last presenter said that most students only come to campus for a few hours each week and then peace out to study at home, so make of that what you will.

PBL looked like it wouldn't jive with my learning style. What we saw was a group of students rifing through their text books suggesting different explanations, with no one emerging as a clear leader. It didn't appear to be all that efficient. Apparently it can be incredibly effective for students who are strong independent learners. Different strokes.

It's the type of school you'd feel at home at if you have the personality type that would be comfortable in the military.

I'm fortunate to have some options, but if it were my only acceptance I would certainly attend. If you're interviewing soon, good luck! It wasn't a stressful one at all.

PBL is certainly one of the learning methods that requires some intense self discipline and TRUST in regards to your classmates holding their side to assist in learning.
 
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Interviewing March 27th! For anyone who interviewed please let me know what you thought!

Overall, I liked it. LECOM Bradenton has been my tentative top choice for DO ever since I learned about PBL, and that didn't change (okay, so it was probably my tentative first choice since I learned about the beaches. But THEN because of PBL)

- The faculty and students don't seem in-your-face friendly, but each time I've actually talked to them they seem nice. More quiet, but nice. As one example, when I was walking down a hallway during my interview day a random student looked up from his book to wish me luck. Or when I was looking for the security entrance, the students kind of kept to themselves but were happy to answer a question when I asked. The PBL atmosphere I witnessed contained a fair amount of fun and joking around, even some with the facilitator.
- With that being said, there's definitely a no-nonsense, what-you-see-is-what-you-get feel to the school. The acceptance letter said many of the usual nice things, but there was also a sentence that mentions the expectation of "hard work and dedication." And instead of courting you as a potential tuition-paying student, LECOM-B almost asks you to think it over again and make sure this is the right school for you.
- We sat into a PBL session for an hour, and I really liked what I saw. I think it definitely will be more stressful in some ways, especially since LECOM Bradenton seems to value med school GPA (so I'm sure there is competition). But when I think back to undergraduate, I keep thinking about how little I learned from attending all the lectures or reviewing slides and how much I learned when I bothered to read the book. To me, it also seems like such a fun way to learn medicine - attempting to diagnose, learning from your mistakes, and studying with the intent of knowing what the heck is going on. And a few discussions with med students at other schools convinced me that you teach yourself medicine, no matter what school you go to.
- I'm read a lot of comments about the school on SDN, including LECOM as a whole. It seems to inspire strong feelings, either positive or negative - but I haven't seen anything to challenge the claims that LECOM-B students do very well on board exams and match decently well too. So whatever they do, it must work. The academic and professional outcomes seem excellent, and - it's hard for me to know until it's too late - but I really think I'm gonna like PBL.
 
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Interviewed here recently.

It was a pretty barren place - nothing on the walls, no water or food outside of the cafeteria downstairs, no professors with open doors (the curriculum is problem based). The people who gave presentations were very no nonsense and serious ("Many people have failed out - you are the only roadblock to your success! You are competing with the person next to you from day one!").

The last presenter said that most students only come to campus for a few hours each week and then peace out to study at home, so make of that what you will.

PBL looked like it wouldn't jive with my learning style. What we saw was a group of students rifing through their text books suggesting different explanations, with no one emerging as a clear leader. It didn't appear to be all that efficient. Apparently it can be incredibly effective for students who are strong independent learners. Different strokes.

It's the type of school you'd feel at home at if you have the personality type that would be comfortable in the military.

I'm fortunate to have some options, but if it were my only acceptance I would certainly attend. If you're interviewing soon, good luck! It wasn't a stressful one at all.

First year here and could not disagree more. Yes there is no water or food allowed outside of the cafeteria but it is the cleanest school I interviewed at. You know what I mean if you have studied in a study room that smells like stale food. The PBL facilitators specialize in various areas of the basic sciences and their doors are always open. I also don't feel like this is one of those old school military type institutions where we are encouraged to compete against one another. That mentality completely goes against PBL and I think it's just a bad rap that we get because our dean is military. I would agree that there are times in PBL when you are just "rifling through book" and "suggesting different explanations." It's part of the learning process and it sticks a lot better in your head once you figure it out than say having a monotonous lecturer tell it to you. I'm sorry but I can't agree more with the "you are your own roadblock to success." It doesn't matter where you end up going to school, you will be given an opportunity to succeed and the level of success really is up to you. Some of the people in this thread and at the interviews are afraid of working hard. At LECOM you will have less class time and hence more "free time" so of course they have to stress the importance of self discipline and an excellent work ethic. The students who take advantage of all that time to study do really well on the board exams.
 
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First year here and could not disagree more. Yes there is no water or food allowed outside of the cafeteria but it is the cleanest school I interviewed at. You know what I mean if you have studied in a study room that smells like stale food. The PBL facilitators specialize in various areas of the basic sciences and their doors are always open. I also don't feel like this is one of those old school military type institutions where we are encouraged to compete against one another. That mentality completely goes against PBL and I think it's just a bad rap that we get because our dean is military. I would agree that there are times in PBL when you are just "rifling through book" and "suggesting different explanations." It's part of the learning process and it sticks a lot better in your head once you figure it out than say having a monotonous lecturer tell it to you. I'm sorry but I can't agree more with the "you are your own roadblock to success." It doesn't matter where you end up going to school, you will be given an opportunity to succeed and the level of success really is up to you. Some of the people in this thread and at the interviews are afraid of working hard. At LECOM you will have less class time and hence more "free time" so of course they have to stress the importance of self discipline and an excellent work ethic. The students who take advantage of all that time to study do really well on the board exams.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate you clearing up my misconceptions. You can't argue with the great board scores of LECOM grads.

I know in my heart that I'll benefit from a more structured atmosphere and lectures after thinking more deeply about the different learning styles. Gotta go with that gut feeling, as people on SDN say about choosing your school. I'm glad LECOM meets your needs and I hope you have success landing your preferred residency. :)
 
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