LECOM Bradenton Discussion Thread 2011-2012

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ShyRem

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Ooh, very excited to be the first poster on this forum :) My #1 choice, hands down! So excited to get the ball rolling with applying (and hopefully getting accepted!) to this school asap.
 
Yeah, I'm pretty stoked about this one as well...Let's get these admissions offices open already!
 
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I am super excited as well! Bradenton is my number one choice too! Hopefully we'll be classmates!
 
I really want to attend this school.
 
I am applying here too....Let's get the show on the road.
 
Is anyone aware of when we will be able to fill out the secondary for LECOM-Bradenton?? Do we have to have our AACOMAS verified before we are able to do this? Thanks!
 
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Is anyone aware of when we will be able to fill out the secondary for LECOM-Bradenton?? Do we have to have our AACOMAS verified before we are able to do this? Thanks!

You won't get a secondary until AACOMAS sends your app to the schools and they only do that after it is verified.
 
Does anyone know the average stats for LECOM-Bradenton? I tried looking it up on their website and go nowhere.
 
Does anyone know the average stats for LECOM-Bradenton? I tried looking it up on their website and go nowhere.

well there are really no official numbers, but the general idea is 3.4/3.5 & 27/28. and you should be fine. I've seen a bunch of numbers posted with everything from the unrealistically low averages to the "probably not true" high averages. 3.45/27-28 seems to be the best guess.

but take all D.O. school averages with a grain of salt because nothing is official
 
I know my reasons for wanting to attend but would like to here some of your reasons to make this your #1 pick?
 
Pretty excited to apply here. Anyone visit the school ever? Can you provide an insight on the school's location and facilities? I've been to Bradenton, FL before but I want to know about the area the school is in.
 
I know my reasons for wanting to attend but would like to here some of your reasons to make this your #1 pick?

Super easy question! lol

-The location is great. Hot, sunny beaches...it doesn't get much better than that. Florida definitely suits my personality/lifestyle.
-The curriculum is awesome. I am a big fan of PBL. I feel like everyone should carefully assess whether they are suited for PBL or not - this is very individual. I haven't sat in on a session yet (hopefully during the interview I will be able to), but this is the type of independent/group oriented work that I use in school now. I'm not into sitting in on lecture 8 hours a day only to take in very little information and go home and study for another 8 hours to learn it. I'd rather spend 10 hours on my own/in group and know just as much. I don't really need that much guidance. Plus, PBL allows you to keep your "eye on the prize" because they give you cases. IMHO, this allows you to stay focused on why you are learned boring pathways/immuno stuff. For example, if I'm learning about immune system pathways, I can mentally make it relevant/more interesting to learn by thinking, "Well this patient had a high WBC...figure out what is going on there." It's a small difference, but it gives me something to hold on to.
-Cost. LOW, LOW cost...even compared to some MD schools. I'd much rather have $100K less in school loans that some other DO schools, thank-you-very-much.

The small rules that bother others do not really bother me. I've heard tale of the creepy clowns, the no water/food in lectures, and dressing up but everyone is different; figure out what you like. One person's #1 could be someone elses "I would never attend that school in a million years." I know people who won't even apply to LECOM, but for me it's the creme de la creme. *fingers crossed that I get in!*
 
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Hey guys, I'm a rising 4th year LECOM-B student. I'm currently studying for Step 2, but I'll try and answer some questions here about the school if needed.

Keep in mind that anything I say may have changed since I did it, and may change in the future.

Please try and look in the same thread from prior years, as many of the questions have probably been answered.

Overall, it's a great school. PBL is not for everyone, but we have a pretty high success rate at school, so most people make it through it fine. It certainly prepares you well. I'm older (33) and married with kids, so Sarasota was a great town for us, but some of my younger, single classmates complained about it (although I think they're crazy). There's still lots of great bars and things. Impossible to beat Siesta Key Beach (#1 in the US this year, and my favorite spot on the entire planet.)

Clinical years are a mixed bag. You get a LOT of freedom in deciding what you want to do and where you want to go, but you do have to do a lot of the leg work yourself in setting up your rotations. Some people complain about school not helping them enough with this, but I haven't had any problems, but I've also set up most of my own back home in Virginia, where I'm from and where I've been most of this year. My Florida classmates have mostly had great experiences in Florida also, although the rotations that are actually in Bradenton/Sarasota are, for the most part, kinda meh, IMO.

People complain a lot about the LECOM "rules". No food or drink except in the cafeteria. Have to dress up during business hours. Have to swipe your ID badge to get in our out of the building. I never really had a problem with them. The longest you're in any 1 class is 2 hours, and you can always run to the water fountain if you need to. When studying there, it's a good idea to take a study break every hour or two and run to the cafe and get a drink or snack. Most people don't study at school though. Dressing up and badge swiping just prepares you for the real world. You have to do this at hospitals too. Can't be showing up in the OR in your PJ's, with no badge, and chowing down on a Pop-Tart.

Anyways, I've really enjoyed my time at LECOM-B. PBL is hard, but you can do things how you want. Bottom line: You have to do A LOT on your own at this school, but if you can handle that, it's great. If you want to be spoon fed, or have everything laid out for you all nice and neat, this may not be the best place for you.
 
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Hey guys, I'm a rising 4th year LECOM-B student. I'm currently studying for Step 2, but I'll try and answer some questions here about the school if needed.

Keep in mind that anything I say may have changed since I did it, and may change in the future.

Please try and look in the same thread from prior years, as many of the questions have probably been answered.

Overall, it's a great school. PBL is not for everyone, but we have a pretty high success rate at school, so most people make it through it fine. It certainly prepares you well. I'm older (33) and married with kids, so Sarasota was a great town for us, but some of my younger, single classmates complained about it (although I think they're crazy). There's still lots of great bars and things. Impossible to beat Siesta Key Beach (#1 in the US this year, and my favorite spot on the entire planet.)

Clinical years are a mixed bag. You get a LOT of freedom in deciding what you want to do and where you want to go, but you do have to do a lot of the leg work yourself in setting up your rotations. Some people complain about school not helping them enough with this, but I haven't had any problems, but I've also set up most of my own back home in Virginia, where I'm from and where I've been most of this year. My Florida classmates have mostly had great experiences in Florida also, although the rotations that are actually in Bradenton/Sarasota are, for the most part, kinda meh, IMO.

People complain a lot about the LECOM "rules". No food or drink except in the cafeteria. Have to dress up during business hours. Have to swipe your ID badge to get in our out of the building. I never really had a problem with them. The longest you're in any 1 class is 2 hours, and you can always run to the water fountain if you need to. When studying there, it's a good idea to take a study break every hour or two and run to the cafe and get a drink or snack. Most people don't study at school though. Dressing up and badge swiping just prepares you for the real world. You have to do this at hospitals too. Can't be showing up in the OR in your PJ's, with no badge, and chowing down on a Pop-Tart.

Anyways, I've really enjoyed my time at LECOM-B. PBL is hard, but you can do things how you want. Bottom line: You have to do A LOT on your own at this school, but if you can handle that, it's great. If you want to be spoon fed, or have everything laid out for you all nice and neat, this may not be the best place for you.

I guess my only question would be are professors/administrators helpful if asked? Like if I want advice and some help planning rotations or what not, would they take the time to talk to me?
 
I guess my only question would be are professors/administrators helpful if asked? Like if I want advice and some help planning rotations or what not, would they take the time to talk to me?

During the 1st two years, yes. For rotations...not so much. There's not much to it that you need help with really. You get a list of possible spots, you pick what you want. You enter it all into a computer system. If what you want isn't on there, you try and set it up yourself...there's really not much they can do to help. There's a HUGE variety of spots, all over the country, so you just pick what you want for the most part. Some things are in high demand, especially around the area, and occasionally you'll have to work things out with fellow students if there are limited spots, but I didn't have any problems getting what I wanted...and don't really know anyone who did.

If you want to ask school whats good and bad...you're better off asking your fellow students, who are the ones with the first hand experience.

The clinical ed department has been pretty helpful to me, like when I've wanted to move stuff around on my schedule and things, but it's best if you just follow their rules.

We have a pretty good student run website with reviews of rotations, so you can have a pretty good idea what's good and bad based on that.
 
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This is genius and, I would imagine, very helpful to future MS3/MS4

It is, mostly. I wish it was more extensive. Then again, a lot of it may not be that helpful.

For example, I've done a lot of rotations back in my hometown with docs who were friends of friends of friends...

I doubt anyone else would want to do these rotations unless they were from here. Not that they're not good, but they're just pretty far off the beaten trail, so to speak. Assuming these docs would even take another student that they didn't know (they don't usually...taking me was kind of a favor, or just because I'm the first one to ever ask them...)

Still, there's a lot of reviews, especially of rotations around Florida, which is pretty helpful. Talk to upperclassmen though when you get to school. It always helps to find out the most recent info, not what some reviewer said about a site 3-5 years ago.
 
Fresh/new LECOM grad here so I can also try and answer questions as they come up.

But I agree with everything digitlnoize said. Most of your support and information during clinical years in regards to quality of rotation sites will most likely be from fellow students. And like most things you should take some of what you hear with a grain of salt, but you should still get a decent idea of what's out there.

Also, if you're absolutely gunning for something dermatology, surgery, radiology, etc... then it may be beneficial to find a mentor in that field fairly early on in your clinical years. Since we don't have an affiliated campus medical center you're not really going to have a big name "chief of surgery" whom you can go to for advice and/or a letter of rec.

When you start you do have an advisor assigned for the first couple years but they may not be a MD/DO and may not be currently in clinical practice and may not have the best advice or good contacts in the specific field you're interested in.

So, just a coupe things to keep in mind when you hit the clinical years.
 
For the fresh grads, I found a version of the 2011 match list - below- and was just wondering if you guys have seen an updated version. As a pre-med student how should we interpret these results for LE-Bradenton and what were your thoughts on the match? Also, how much emphasis should one put on a schools match list when choosing between schools? I know it shouldn't be the sole reason for attending and probably shouldn't weigh as much as other factors such as cost, location, learning style etc. but it should serve as some importance right?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=16876&d=1305743559
 
As a pre-med student how should we interpret these results for LE-Bradenton and what were your thoughts on the match? Also, how much emphasis should one put on a schools match list when choosing between schools? I know it shouldn't be the sole reason for attending and probably shouldn't weigh as much as other factors such as cost, location, learning style etc. but it should serve as some importance right?

You have to take match lists with a giant grain of salt. I'll show you why using my own, as yet unmatched class as an example:

The person who, as far as I know, got the best board scores in my class (USMLE >270, COMLEX >750) wants to do IM. He might go to a "big name" program, but it depends on where he WANTS to go. Regardless, a DO IM match, even at Hopkins or someplace doesn't impress people usually.

Some other spectacular students in my class want to do Peds, and I know they want "non-impressive" places. University programs in their home states...and they'll probably get them. But, still...it's not going to look impressive.

We have a bunch of students that want to do FM, and another bunch (more than usual) that want to do Psych.

We have what seems like a lot who want to do Ortho, and many of them will likely not get it (not through any fault of their own or LECOM, but simply because ortho is crazy competitive, and many, many people don't get it), and those people will likely wind up in TY hell, or unmatched...unless they rank a backup like Gen Surg, in which case it also won't look impressive.

The problem with basing your decision on the number of Rads matches is that most people don't go to DO school to do radiology. That's not the type of applicant DO schools attract. Hell, it's not the type of applicant any med school attracts, if it wasn't for the salary.

Basically, the moral of the story is that match lists only reflect what they students in that class GOT. It gives you no information about what they wanted. If everyone got what they wanted, it's a great match list. If they didn't, sucks for them, but you'll never know it. The lists that are put out does not reflect who got their #1-5 choices, if that was the specialty they really wanted, or if they settled because they didn't think they could get into, say, ENT, or any other myriad of confounding factors.
 
Basically, the moral of the story is that match lists only reflect what they students in that class GOT. It gives you no information about what they wanted. If everyone got what they wanted, it's a great match list. If they didn't, sucks for them, but you'll never know it. The lists that are put out does not reflect who got their #1-5 choices, if that was the specialty they really wanted, or if they settled because they didn't think they could get into, say, ENT, or any other myriad of confounding factors.

Thanks for the insight digitlnoize!
 
Is anyone else obsessed with this whole process? Med school is all I can think about and I just want to get a move on with the app cycle....the days are ticking by slowly. I keep checking the LECOM boards (this past years and all the previous years) constantly, when I really should be working on my summer physics class homework.

Does anyone know what determines when the interviews start for a given cycle?
It seems that last year at LECOM-B they interviewed starting the last week in August, but the year before the second week in September. And LECOM-E started interviewing July 16th (WOW!) last year, but Aug 25th the year before that. I hope they interview as early as possible. I want to get an acceptance from here so I can stop applying anywhere else and just withdraw my apps and save the $$/time. Sorry for being neurotic. >.<
 
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Is anyone else obsessed with this whole process? Med school is all I can think about and I just want to get a move on with the app cycle....the days are ticking by slowly.

Yes, it is pretty much all I think about right now other than my CNA course I am taking.. so pretty much I am thinking about it all the time. Should start to get better soon though. I kinda think secondaries, specifically bradenton, will start coming out in the next week starting tomorrow. I guess only time will truly tell though and hopefully we do not get any surprise prompts which we have to write for this school.
 
Yes, it is pretty much all I think about right now other than my CNA course I am taking.. so pretty much I am thinking about it all the time. Should start to get better soon though. I kinda think secondaries, specifically bradenton, will start coming out in the next week starting tomorrow. I guess only time will truly tell though and hopefully we do not get any surprise prompts which we have to write for this school.


Wait until you are a month away from starting!! I'm going back and forth between super nervous and super excited. Can't wait to move to FL now (3 weeks :D )!!

I'm sure you know from reading other posts, but last year we did not have any essays on the secondary. Very short, basically check the boxes type of thing. Hopefully its the same for you guys!! Good luck :luck:
 
Yes, it is pretty much all I think about right now other than my CNA course I am taking.. so pretty much I am thinking about it all the time. Should start to get better soon though. I kinda think secondaries, specifically bradenton, will start coming out in the next week starting tomorrow. I guess only time will truly tell though and hopefully we do not get any surprise prompts which we have to write for this school.

Oh cool, CNA was benefical for me. I've worked as a CNA at a hospital for years now - lots of great experience/connections. It gets you familar with a hospital setting, charting, etc. The most exciting things I do are foley insertions and venipuncture (none of which are exciting, lol), but it's a great way to start.

And I hope there aren't any essays this year. I'm not expecting any. Hopefully they will send out secondaries before June 21st?? Any chance of this? lol. Also hoping they follow the same interview time-line as LECOM-E did last year ;-)

Good luck with the move, Jinxgirl!! Let us know how amazing it is once you start.
 
How important is a LOR from a DO for LECOM-B? This is probably my number one choice but I don't have a LOR from a physician.
 
How important is a LOR from a DO for LECOM-B? This is probably my number one choice but I don't have a LOR from a physician.

Isn't it required? I think I had to have one. I was an ER scribe, and we happened to have a DO that worked in the ER, so I just asked her. If you don't have one, hit the phones and call every DO in your area (or outside it, be willing to travel if need be) and go shadow someone for a day or two and get a letter. It can only help.
 
Still no secondary from this school, right?

Anyone who has already been accepted want to give me some advice? I'm kind of freaking. Got my MCAT score back and scored terribly. My practice exams were around a 30, but I just wanted a 26+ on the actual test. I ended up with a 22...I did the best in the section I thought I bombed [BS] (and remember ~6 questions post-test that I knew and didn't have time to do back in change...which means I should have scored even higher), but the big shocker was VB, in which I scored a 7, even though I NEVER scored below an 11 on even one practice verbal section...and I took ~12. I'm not sure what happened. To be truthful, it feels like I got someone else's score. Anyway, I think I am just having terrible test anxiety, but a score that low is obviously showing a fundamental lack of understanding of the material. I signed up for the July 28th retake and I plan on studying every second between now and then. This is the school for me, I know it...so I'm trying to do everything I can to get it together. My main concern is that on my AACOMAS I indicated I was retaking May 20th, but since I submitted weeks ago (and did not have my score yet), I obviously did not indicate the July retake. I do not want LECOM-B to reject me before seeing my July MCAT score. Does anyone know how I ensure they know I am retaking? I e-mailed Dr. Berezniak to make him aware that I am retaking, but I am not sure this is sufficient. Any advice would be appreciated. Has anyone heard of someone getting an interview at LECOM-B with such a terrible score? Man, this really feels like the end of the world right now. Just trying to keep my head down and push past this so it becomes a distant memory ASAP. Thanks.
 
Still no secondary from this school, right?

Anyone who has already been accepted want to give me some advice? I'm kind of freaking. Got my MCAT score back and scored terribly. My practice exams were around a 30, but I just wanted a 26+ on the actual test. I ended up with a 22...I did the best in the section I thought I bombed [BS] (and remember ~6 questions post-test that I knew and didn't have time to do back in change...which means I should have scored even higher), but the big shocker was VB, in which I scored a 7, even though I NEVER scored below an 11 on even one practice verbal section...and I took ~12. I'm not sure what happened. To be truthful, it feels like I got someone else's score. Anyway, I think I am just having terrible test anxiety, but a score that low is obviously showing a fundamental lack of understanding of the material. I signed up for the July 28th retake and I plan on studying every second between now and then. This is the school for me, I know it...so I'm trying to do everything I can to get it together. My main concern is that on my AACOMAS I indicated I was retaking May 20th, but since I submitted weeks ago (and did not have my score yet), I obviously did not indicate the July retake. I do not want LECOM-B to reject me before seeing my July MCAT score. Does anyone know how I ensure they know I am retaking? I e-mailed Dr. Berezniak to make him aware that I am retaking, but I am not sure this is sufficient. Any advice would be appreciated. Has anyone heard of someone getting an interview at LECOM-B with such a terrible score? Man, this really feels like the end of the world right now. Just trying to keep my head down and push past this so it becomes a distant memory ASAP. Thanks.

Is Berezniak the contact person now? If so, that should be sufficient. If not, I'd email the administrative non-doctor person too, whoever that is now.

I haven't heard of anyone getting in with a 22, sorry, but I also don't know everyone's score. I also did much worse on the Verbal section than I had on practice tests, but this was 4 years ago.

I myself got a 28R (10B, 8P, 10V). Physics (well, math really) was definitely my weak point, and always will be. I was just too far out of it when I went back to school (I'm a non-trad, and old, well, 33).

The lowest score that I know of in our class is probably a 26, maybe I've heard of a 25, but I'm not sure. Definitely a 26 or two floating around. There could easily be lower scores, I only know a few.

Your best bet is to retake it, although you want to make sure that you fix whatever deficiencies you have before you do so. 1 low score and an awesome retake is ok. 2 low scores becomes harder to correct.

Study a lot and do the hard official practice tests (not #3...in my day the harder ones were like #7,8,9-ish.) ExamKrackers rocks for physics, Kaplan I thought was better for bio.

Good luck!
 
Correct. No secondaries yet.

What are you using to train for the MCAT?

ExamKrackers, but it is hard for me to study as much as everyone else simply because I work almost 50 hours a week at a hospital and I am taking a summer physics class at the same time (I need the job to live each month, so I can't quit or cut back). When I took this past exam I had been going to school full time at a top, competitive university (which studying for those classes took up all my time I wasn't working). But even still, I was scoring so well on verbal. I can believe the other two scores (PS and BS) simply due to gaps in my content knowledge due to shortened study time, but the VB I simply do not believe...that's my best section...I usually score 11-13 on AAMC practice tests (3-10, +EK verbal review). If I had scored an 11 on VB at least I would have had my 26. Anyway, I am going to study as much as possible between now and then and just make sure I turn my weak science topics into mastered science topics, that away my science scores can raise. Hopefully that will create more confidence going into VB so I am not so shaken coming off of PS. All I can do in the mean time with VB is continue to practice with the very few passages I have left that I haven't done already - and try and calm down next time I take it. Any other suggestions are def welcome.
 
ExamKrackers, but it is hard for me to study as much as everyone else simply because I work almost 50 hours a week at a hospital and I am taking a summer physics class at the same time (I need the job to live each month, so I can't quit or cut back). When I took this past exam I had been going to school full time at a top, competitive university (which studying for those classes took up all my time I wasn't working). But even still, I was scoring so well on verbal. I can believe the other two scores (PS and BS) simply due to gaps in my content knowledge due to shortened study time, but the VB I simply do not believe...that's my best section...I usually score 11-13 on AAMC practice tests (3-10, +EK verbal review). If I had scored an 11 on VB at least I would have had my 26. Anyway, I am going to study as much as possible between now and then and just make sure I turn my weak science topics into mastered science topics, that away my science scores can raise. Hopefully that will create more confidence going into VB so I am not so shaken coming off of PS. All I can do in the mean time with VB is continue to practice with the very few passages I have left that I haven't done already - and try and calm down next time I take it. Any other suggestions are def welcome.

Many people say that admissions people look for a more even MCAT score as well. It's not simply the total that counts.

For example: Let's say you got a V12 B7 P7 = 26. That's not going to look as good as someone who got a B9 P9 V8 = 26. Try and shoot for 10's on each section, but AT LEAST 8's. No number below an 8, MINIMUM. If anything, I'd focus on the Biology section the most. Many of the LECOM-B students I've talked to had weaker physics sections, but like me, their strong Bio and Verbal scores made up for it. The verbal scores might (this is pure speculation) be more important at LECOM-B than at some other schools, due to the group interaction and the PBL cases. During the interview, we were actually given a short 1-2 page article to read that we had to discuss with our interviewers 10-15 min after reading it...very low pressure though. It strikes me that this test of reading comprehension and ability to discuss what you've read may be important in a group learning environment like PBL.

Your low verbal score may have been a fluke. Keep doing practice tests on that and see how you're doing. Only do new questions, not ones you've seen before.

Finally, don't overlook the impact of true test anxiety on performance. Many people have real issues with this, especially surrounding such important tests as the MCAT and Board Exams. It could be worth talking to a psychiatrist about. Even something as simple as a sleep aid (if you medically need it, of course) in the nights before the test when you're having trouble sleeping could work wonders for your score.

Finally, I know it might not be ideal, but it might be worth considering getting a graduate degree first, and perhaps taking out a private loan, if you need to, so you can quit your job and do nothing but study. Many of my classmates came to school with Master's degrees (MPH, etc), although I did not.
 
Many people say that admissions people look for a more even MCAT score as well. It's not simply the total that counts.

For example: Let's say you got a V12 B7 P7 = 26. That's not going to look as good as someone who got a B9 P9 V8 = 26. Try and shoot for 10's on each section, but AT LEAST 8's. No number below an 8, MINIMUM. If anything, I'd focus on the Biology section the most. Many of the LECOM-B students I've talked to had weaker physics sections, but like me, their strong Bio and Verbal scores made up for it. The verbal scores might (this is pure speculation) be more important at LECOM-B than at some other schools, due to the group interaction and the PBL cases. During the interview, we were actually given a short 1-2 page article to read that we had to discuss with our interviewers 10-15 min after reading it...very low pressure though. It strikes me that this test of reading comprehension and ability to discuss what you've read may be important in a group learning environment like PBL.

Your low verbal score may have been a fluke. Keep doing practice tests on that and see how you're doing. Only do new questions, not ones you've seen before.

Finally, don't overlook the impact of true test anxiety on performance. Many people have real issues with this, especially surrounding such important tests as the MCAT and Board Exams. It could be worth talking to a psychiatrist about. Even something as simple as a sleep aid (if you medically need it, of course) in the nights before the test when you're having trouble sleeping could work wonders for your score.

Finally, I know it might not be ideal, but it might be worth considering getting a graduate degree first, and perhaps taking out a private loan, if you need to, so you can quit your job and do nothing but study. Many of my classmates came to school with Master's degrees (MPH, etc), although I did not.

Thanks for such solid advice. I agree with what you've written here. I wish I could do back and do-over, lol. I recalled (after walking out of the testing center) ~5-6 bio questions I missed and didn't have time to return to, but knew. Verbal feels flukey to me just because I did so many practice tests and was very consistent. I do have sleeping pills that I never take, but perhaps I will give that a try in the days leading up to the MCAT in order to relieve some anxiety. I'm taking physics right now, so hopefully that will help me brush up on my physics deficiencies. During practice exams almost all of the problems I missed were organic, so hopefully learning some of that material will help my bio score. I have one more month of studying hard-core and this last shot before I'm out of the running for this cycle. I've talked with my fiance about it and if I do not get in anywhere this cycle, we are going to move to FL at the end of the school year and I'll do a grad program there and re-apply. Hopefully that won't be needed and I can get my MCAT score up this time.

I hate to even say this, but since I've overly got my hopes up to go to FL (and specifically, LECOM-B) I feel like I am going to feel a little let down if I don't get in here this cycle but get in somewhere else instead. The people at LMU-DCOM, for instance, have been talking with me heavily and seem to think a 22 would still give me a shot (esp since I'm in-state and Vandy is well known around here). The main problem with this is that my fiance is so miserable in TN and we've rly been hoping to be able to go to FL...4 more years here (since their clinical years are all done in that area) seems a bit brutal...but I guess the chips will fall where they are supposed to and I'll just see how it works out. I'd be grateful to get in anywhere, since being a doctor is the main goal and being comfortable with where I'm living just might have to take a back-seat.

Anyway, [/hijack thread]. Sorry guys! lol! Go LECOM-B! Hopefully secondaries will be out soon :xf:
 
Honestly, you're going to be so busy in medical school, that you won't really notice where you are. As long as you're not in the far north with blizzards, I'd tough it out and count yourself lucky.

It's funny, I have a classmate who is DYING to go home to TN, particularly Vandy. Maybe we could orchestrate a trade. Get some connections at Vandy Pediatrics and we'll talk.
 
Honestly, you're going to be so busy in medical school, that you won't really notice where you are. As long as you're not in the far north with blizzards, I'd tough it out and count yourself lucky.

It's funny, I have a classmate who is DYING to go home to TN, particularly Vandy. Maybe we could orchestrate a trade. Get some connections at Vandy Pediatrics and we'll talk.

Haha!! Hey I do have connections over there. I work at the med center in addition to going to school there. I'll trade her ;-)
 
How important is a LOR from a DO for LECOM-B? This is probably my number one choice but I don't have a LOR from a physician.

Call Dr. Berezniak about it. He was willing to let me sit down with a DO at the interview and have that guy write me a letter if it was necessary. Thankfully I didn't end up needing it, but it showed me he cares and is understanding.
 
Hello possible future classmates! :laugh:

Another reason to attend LECOM-B is that they have the highest COMLEX scores among DO schools in the country. I think Erie/Seton Hill is 3rd.

Now just gotta fill out my application. :(
 
Another reason to attend LECOM-B is that they have the highest COMLEX scores among DO schools in the country. I think Erie/Seton Hill is 3rd.

Is there a place where you can see average board scores for different schools?? I've been wondering about this but haven't been able to dig anything up.
 
Hello possible future classmates! :laugh:

Another reason to attend LECOM-B is that they have the highest COMLEX scores among DO schools in the country. I think Erie/Seton Hill is 3rd.

Now just gotta fill out my application. :(

There's been some confusion about this. I'm not sure if anyone knows all of the mean scores of the schools.

But, we DO know that LECOM-B has the highest step 1 pass RATE for the last couple of years. The last 2 classes have had a 100% step 1 pass rate. That is, everyone who passed 2nd year also passed the boards. Which made us #1. I would assume that we also have a high mean score, but I haven't seen that particular piece of data.
 
But, we DO know that LECOM-B has the highest step 1 pass RATE for the last couple of years. The last 2 classes have had a 100% step 1 pass rate. That is, everyone who passed 2nd year also passed the boards. Which made us #1. I would assume that we also have a high mean score, but I haven't seen that particular piece of data.

There was a slide about this in one of our admin hours. It's an excel bar chart, so some of the numbers are hard to pin down exactly. The COMLEX level 1 national average is adjusted to have a mean of about 500 and a standard deviation of ~50 iirc. For the c/o 2012, Erie's mean was ~505, Bradenton was ~525-530. No clue about other schools. Incidentally, the national pass rate on level 1 (according to*the same presentation) is around 88%, which is surprisingly low.

Having just taken COMLEX 1 in the past month, I'd warn you against taking this kind of stuff too seriously. It varies from year-to-year, and comlex is (I think it's fair to say) an odd test.

With the benefit of hindsight, I'd say the most important things to consider are whether PBL will work for you, and (further down the line) whether you're confident the school will have quality rotations for you, especially given the recent expansion of the school.
 
There was a slide about this in one of our admin hours. It's an excel bar chart, so some of the numbers are hard to pin down exactly. The COMLEX level 1 national average is adjusted to have a mean of about 500 and a standard deviation of ~50 iirc. For the c/o 2012, Erie's mean was ~505, Bradenton was ~525-530. No clue about other schools. Incidentally, the national pass rate on level 1 (according to*the same presentation) is around 88%, which is surprisingly low.

Having just taken COMLEX 1 in the past month, I'd warn you against taking this kind of stuff too seriously. It varies from year-to-year, and comlex is (I think it's fair to say) an odd test.

With the benefit of hindsight, I'd say the most important things to consider are whether PBL will work for you, and (further down the line) whether you're confident the school will have quality rotations for you, especially given the recent expansion of the school.

Are you referring to Seton Hill?
 
Are you referring to Seton Hill?

No, although the expansion going on at all the campuses makes it hard to keep track! For all I know, they're expanding up there, too.

Each class at Bradenton from the c/o 2008 through the c/o 2014 started with right around 162 people per class. (150 approved spots plus an additional 8% allowed by the AOA to account for "attrition.") We also started with about 8 or 9 people originally from the class ahead of us who were repeating first year.

Starting this fall, with the c/o 2015, there are 182 AOA-approved spots per class at Bradenton. IF they carry over their previous practice of adding the 8% extra they're allowed, you're looking at 196 or 197 people per class, plus another 8 or 9 repeaters. (I don't know for certain that they'll add those extra people they're allowed, but given the school's obsession with growth, I'd bet that they will. Even if they don't, you're still up to 190 people per class, with repeaters.)
 
Is anyone else having problems accessing the supplemental app? It says to go to "admissions" tab then click on "Applicant D.O.- Bradenton". I see admissions, but i don't see the applicant DO part.
 
I'm having issues as well. I reloaded a couple of times and the link appeared. Guess they are working on the site as we speak :)
 
No, although the expansion going on at all the campuses makes it hard to keep track! For all I know, they're expanding up there, too.

Each class at Bradenton from the c/o 2008 through the c/o 2014 started with right around 162 people per class. (150 approved spots plus an additional 8% allowed by the AOA to account for "attrition.") We also started with about 8 or 9 people originally from the class ahead of us who were repeating first year.

Starting this fall, with the c/o 2015, there are 182 AOA-approved spots per class at Bradenton. IF they carry over their previous practice of adding the 8% extra they're allowed, you're looking at 196 or 197 people per class, plus another 8 or 9 repeaters. (I don't know for certain that they'll add those extra people they're allowed, but given the school's obsession with growth, I'd bet that they will. Even if they don't, you're still up to 190 people per class, with repeaters.)

I've always wondered about medical school attrition. How many individuals have you lost?
 
I've always wondered about medical school attrition. How many individuals have you lost?

I figured this out once, for some reason I can't remember. This may give you some idea:

Class of 2013
We started 1st semester with 172 people, ~163 new students plus 8 or 9 who were repeating 1st year. (EDIT: I think there was a guy who started with us but left in the first week of first year for medical reasons, and I'm not sure he was on the list I got this from.)
We started 2nd semester with 157 people.
We started 3rd semester with 158 people.
We started 4th semester with 158 people.

Anatomy in 1st semester is where a lot of people either realize med school isn't for them, or fail a course and decide to repeat or drop out. When 2nd year started, we picked up at least one person from the class ahead of us who had to repeat 2nd year (which is pretty rare), and there might have been a little more turnover than that.

I didn't know everybody in our class who left, so I'm hesitant to try to explain the numbers too much. From the people I knew, it was a mixture of people who chose to repeat, and people who realized med school wasn't for them, and left. I couldn't tell you whether anyone wanted to repeat, but was forced out.

I will also say, the people I know who repeated, and the people who joined our class as repeaters, have generally done very well.

Separately... this is difficult to write about, though that probably doesn't come across in words on a forum post. We lost a classmate yesterday to a bizarre, tragic accident. RIP Jake.
 
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