Lecom Interview

[Teeths]

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Hey everyone

I have an interview for Lecom coming up this week! I'm super excited and nervous at the same time, crazy feeling!

Anyway, does anyone have any tips or words on the interview process? I heard that it's a group interview with around 6 pre-dents and 2 faculty members. Group interviews, like everything, have their pros and cons, and I almost wish I had a set time so I could speak one-on-one with an interviewer. However, it'll be a fun experience interacting with other students as you interview, more of a laid-back atmosphere if you ask me.

Also, is getting an interview at Lecom a good indication of acceptance or are they 'sampling the pool'?

Any input is much appreciated! Thanks 😀

 

[UCF FINatic]

Hey everyone

I have an interview for Lecom coming up this week! I'm super excited and nervous at the same time, crazy feeling!

Anyway, does anyone have any tips or words on the interview process? I heard that it's a group interview with around 6 pre-dents and 2 faculty members. Group interviews, like everything, have their pros and cons, and I almost wish I had a set time so I could speak one-on-one with an interviewer. However, it'll be a fun experience interacting with other students as you interview, more of a laid-back atmosphere if you ask me.

Also, is getting an interview at Lecom a good indication of acceptance or are they 'sampling the pool'?

Any input is much appreciated! Thanks 😀

In my opinion, they are probably sampling the pool. I have a feeling they are interviewing A LOT of students in order to make sure they fill their first class. They have a lot of things going against them (in my opinion) such as high tuition, lack of federal funding for students, teaching dental and medical students together for the first year or two, unproven track record compared to up and running dental schools, etc. That's a lot of question marks in my opinion and I think they are worried that if their students get offers somewhere else they will jump. All in all just my opinion.

As far as the interview, its typically 6 students and 2 faculty members like you mentioned. They ask the very, very basic questions such as why dentistry, time management, your opinion of PBR (and how you would do in it), and your opinion of their school, etc. They aren't going to throw you any curveballs. One thing to note is they typically don't look at students when they ask their questions. I couldn't tell if they liked when a person jumped out and answered a question first or second, etc. I just would try to not be the last person to speak. Another thing I would try to do is interact with the other students when you speak up after them, such as, "That's a great point (name)! I definitely agree that it would be a unique experience to be the first class of LECOM..."

Hope that helped, if you have any other questions just let me know. 👍

 

[Teeths]

Thanks for your reply! Hmmm so it sounds like they're giving interviews liberally :/ I'm really excited about this school because its a state school for me and I think the PBL curriculum is suited to my needs.

Does anyone know if the military scholarships are applicable towards Lecom?

 

[Dienkies]

ya military scholarships does apply toward LECOM but, it is a little late in the cycle to apply for that scholarship for next year. You can however get it for the last three years.

 

[Deadpool]

I was actually the last to speak on most of the questions. And got an acceptance on 12/1. My group meshed very well since we all had very different backgrounds. Don't be afraid to give the same answer with your own personal spin. Make sure you listen to what others say so you can say whether or not you had a similar experience. I gave some advice that worked out for me to some of the interviewees that expressed concerns in their answers. I believe that they are just seeing how you would perform in a pbl group. If you would listen and contribute.

The timing for us was about a minute for each person. Some took 20 seconds, some took a couple minutes. As long as what you say is meaningful and not rambling, it should be fine.

Answer the way you would think a dentist should answer. Does your dentist try to talk to over his/her patients? I tried not to jump ahead of any of the overenthusiastic and not cutoff anyone that was talking. Then I would start off with an encouraging comment followed by a, "I went into dentistry for a similar...but..." or "That's really amazing. I actually had a very different experience growing up because..." My interviewers actually did look at us and were very kind with their input. They were actually the ones that got me to really like LECOM. Goodluck on your interview! =)

 

[Teeths]

Thank you both for replying, I really appreciate it!

Deadpool, after reading your reply, it sort of calmed my nerves. I am a person that can jump and answer when I need to, but I prefer not to make it an ego trip between us students (which I hear can sometimes happen) since this only makes everyone more anxious. What you had advised is what I planned to do and I hope they interpret it as me being aware of the other members of my group and thoughtful instead of not being aggressive.

Thanks again for your reply! 🙂

 

[UCF FINatic]

Just so you know LECOM is a private school, which means it is not a state school. Everyone pays the same tuition ($87,000 a year).

 

[Teeths]

You're right, UCF FINatic, and I'm aware of this. By 'state school' I just meant Florida is where I live. Thank you for the info in case I didn't know though. 🙂