New Medical School

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For the potential students at TCMC - I would not worry. While interviewing at TCMC this past week I was pondering about this type of situation and what would happen in the event that TCMC lost a portion or all of their state funding. I was very impressed with the leadership at this school. They have a lot of experience and I could see how excited and committed they were to the success of this school. Although times are tough with the economy, TCMC has depth in its leadership team and a great leader that will enable them to chart through the rough waters of our current economic situation. They also have spread their fiscal roots wide; the state is just one, although important, of those roots. Also remember that our government is in the process of deciding on an economic stimulus package. In that pie there is a slice for education. Although that is not yet guaranteed funds for PA or any other state, I believe it will pass, and if not, there will probably be another package or bill that follows to refuel secondary education funds. I also believe there will also be changes for funding healthcare to come with the new administration. For those who are fortunate enough to be accepted to TCMC, here is what I would keep in consideration when making the decision between this and other schools and I would not even question whether this school would stay afloat.

1. They are deeply committed to their students' success. The faculty and staff are very personable and have already invested much of their lives and futures into the success of their students. Being a new school they are completely dependent on you succeeding so they can succeed. This means you will get valuable attention here that you might not get at other institutions.
2. They are a stand-alone school. This means they have the freedom to teach or run the school in a way that is best for medical students – that means your experience will be tailored to YOU. That is a big thing for me.
3. The community surrounding TCMC is excited about the school and will be supportive of your ideas and ways that you as a student will want to reach out to them. An instant good relationship with the community – it is so valuable to feel like your needed and you are contributing to those around you. It really takes the edge off of the stress when you feel that you are contributing to the community, even indirectly by being part of the new med school, and that people in the community appreciate what you are doing.
4. There are not yet any student organizations – leadership opportunity! As future physicians we will be responsible for the lives of so many other people. We will play important roles in our communities where we will be responsible for the hospital's or our own or group's practice's relationship with the community. There is only one way to develop the leadership skills and acquire the tools we will need – that is by being a leader. With a new medical school we would be able to start almost any student-led organization we could come up with.
5. Many other reasons

In short, although we have to be wise and realistic, I wouldn't let the financials be a huge deal when considering this school – of course be smart with your own. The school will succeed. Just look at all the positives. I am excited about this school and would love to go here.

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i agree with gale's sentiments. i want to be in a student-centered environment. we want all the help and support we can get as we go through medical education and training. we already have our families and friends' support in our endeavors, plus on top of that, we have the entire tcmc and surrounding communities supporting our dreams and aspirations. with so much support, perhaps one has to try even much harder in order not to succeed.

as a member of the charter class, i look forward to upholding the values tcmc has set for itself and for each one of us. like in many areas of life, practice makes perfect. as gale has stated, since everything is brand new, we each have a chance to practice/develop our leadership skills so as to benefit tcmc and the greater community.

bottomline: don't let the recent news article be the deal breaker of not attending. as stated elsewhere, the school has a diversified fiscal base. passion is an engine that can help drive success. the leaders (besides being well-experienced and well-qualified) are passionate about the school succeeding, and so are the rest of the faculty and staff. this school is going to be a permanent fixture, and i foresee it making positive contributions in many areas of medicine.

gale, i hope you become part of the entering class. best of luck.
 
I couldn't agree more with the sentiments listed above. As a Pennsylvania resident, I have watched healthcare take a bit of a nosedive due to malpractice issues. This is a great opportunity for all involved. Those accepted to TCMC, whose posts I've read, seem to be top-notch, highly motivated future physicians. We need this kind of enthusiasm in Pennsylvania. We have told our child the same things as posted in prior posts, don't let money be the deciding factor. We will figure it out together. If all of you hold onto that, it will be an amazing thing to be a part of this charter class. We are crossing our fingers for our child, as this is everything in a medical school that he/she is looking for - Northeast PA, progressive/aggressive curriculum, a chance to give back, and a chance to practice medicine. I thought that the TCMC poster also did a great job of explaining how they will handle the financial pitfalls of the state funding cuts. Hang in there people!
 
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Just a note-- all our scholarship $$ are privately raised, no state $$. They are safe and intact and available for our charter class as planned!
 
Just a note-- all our scholarship $$ are privately raised, no state $$. They are safe and intact and available for our charter class as planned!
I am sure that you could make good use of the $5,000,000 that the Governor has cut but is that money a significant part of your budget? Will the absence of state funding merely mean a delay in construction and research or will the loss of the money affect classroom instruction? Will everything now be done on the cheap or is this loss something that can be easily weathered?

Thanks
 
I am sure that you could make good use of the $5,000,000 that the Governor has cut but is that money a significant part of your budget? Will the absence of state funding merely mean a delay in construction and research or will the loss of the money affect classroom instruction? Will everything now be done on the cheap or is this loss something that can be easily weathered?

Thanks

as I said in my earlier post on this subject, "As we make choices about how we spend our money our priority is, and will continue to be, providing the students with a high quality education. We will not make cuts in our educational mission. The regional support for this school is strong and students coming to TCMC will have an exceptional experience. " The money is important piece of our funding puzzle. We are working hard to restore it. If you live in PA you can help by talking to your legislators.
 
Sorry to say, but my child was rejected by TCMC. Good luck to future students there. I'll put my planned gift on hold until I see what happens next, but I do hope that the college is able to continue to grow and do good things for Pennsylvania. I think it's a really great thing they are doing.
 
anyone else get an email from TCMC that the waitlist will not move until May 15?
 
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anyone else get an email from TCMC that the waitlist will not move until May 15?

Yeah, I got it, too. It said they might revisit the policy if spaces open up after the interview season ends.
 
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Rejected this afternoon, best wishes to those of you attending, it should be fantastic despite the cold!
PS 12 VR 10 BS 12 = 34 MCAT with a 3.72 GPA from private undergraduate

Edit: I may or may not be in state. Undergrad is in state, but my parents moved during my undergraduate and I listed that as my AMCAS address, but still consider myself to have been in PA for 6.5 years. I think this and the plenitude of acceptances already offered kind of shot me down.
 
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Rejected this afternoon, best wishes to those of you attending, it should be fantastic despite the cold!
PS 12 VR 10 BS 12 = 34 MCAT with a 3.72 GPA from private undergraduate

Are you out of state?
 
Ziff700: Apologies about the rejection. Don't fret; I have a feeling things will work out just fine for you. Those numbers are strong.

As an aside, I think TCMC might be one of those schools that actually does more than talk the talk when it comes to considering the 'whole application'. I've had a few friends with stellar numbers who weren't able to obtain acceptances, and I know a few others with sub-par GPAs or MCATs who got in or are currently waitlisted. In any event, it's refreshing to see that there are still schools interested in recruiting smart, motivated students who are more than just a set of good numbers.

Fellow waitlistees: less than three months until 5/15. I am positively fired up.
 
As an aside, I think TCMC might be one of those schools that actually does more than talk the talk when it comes to considering the 'whole application'. I've had a few friends with stellar numbers who weren't able to obtain acceptances, and I know a few others with sub-par GPAs or MCATs who got in or are currently waitlisted. In any event, it's refreshing to see that there are still schools interested in recruiting smart, motivated students who are more than just a set of good numbers.

Fellow waitlistees: less than three months until 5/15. I am positively fired up.

I agree that they definitely put more stock in the application as a whole than the numbers. While I was excited about the school, I didn't think my stats would get me much farther than the interview (out of state, 34 MCAT, sub-par GPA with an upward trend), but at the interview one of my interviewers kept complimenting me on my personal statement and lo and behold, a week later I was waitlisted. I'm absolutely thrilled to still be in the running (potentially) and thankful that they do look at more than just stats.
 
I waited until it was okay to post these (I had sent these in a private e-mail to another potential TCMC student) - son had 32 MCATs, 3.5 GPA, honors student, studied abroad, got a $1250 grant from his college to travel to Africa to volunteer over the summer, member of student program board, member of martial arts club, participates in co-ed athletics, has worked at a local hospital for the last 3 years, in-state student, resident of PA, wanted to stay in PA. So, decent scores, GPA, extra-curriculars, and in-state, and rejected. Son said the biggest thing they honed in on during the interview was he hadn't done any research, although he had a project in the wings and couldn't get funding. I hope this helps others who are seeking to attend TCMC, as my son said the biggest thing he missed on this forum was seeing more stats. He is digging in hard on his thesis and waiting to hear to get interviews from 5 other schools (he is still crossing his fingers). Again, good luck people!
 
i was waitlisted also, oos, 3.5, 31... ive done a lot of research though, and a lot of volunteer work (though i know everyone has). i have family in PA... I was shocked I got an interview, but now i LOVE the school.
 
I also was waitlisted in December (hopefully an early interview is a good sign?), OOS (from nyc), 3.7 graduate school GPA, 3.2 undergrad, 4years of clinical research experience, and a lot of miscellaneous random volunteer work. I also can't wait for 5/15 but hopefully they will let us know sooner! I love this school and would go in a second.

i was waitlisted also, oos, 3.5, 31... ive done a lot of research though, and a lot of volunteer work (though i know everyone has). i have family in PA... I was shocked I got an interview, but now i LOVE the school.
 
KAC714 you have good stats as well. The research may be what got you waitlisted, whereas my son was rejected in whole. Part of the deal. Everyone who applies definitely has something to offer, based on the stats I have read. It is tough that they can't dig deeper, as my son published his first book at the age of 16, the second at the age of 18. They don't look at the high school stuff, I think. Also, the University paid for him to go to Denver, CO after he submitted a paper to try and be a lector at a symposium. The top 2-3 papers were given opportunities to lecture, the next top 3 were given opportunities to attend the lectures to see what other presenters had to offer. My son was one of the next 3 in line, and was able to go to Denver and attend the symposium. Like all of you, he is well accomplished, and we are proud. I think all those who get in will do some great things for Pennsylvania. Not sure about the military scholarship people, though, because they eventually will have to leave, but I still think they will be great doctors. KAC714, I hope you get in.
 
This might help make things a little clearer. In late December, I read in the Scranton Times that TCMC had already accepted over 40 students and was offering 90 interviews for January. Now, it's late February so open spots are definitely limited, if they even exist. Therefore, more people than usual had to be rejected/waitlisted in the past two weeks or so.

I'm sure many that applicants who got rejected or waitlisted are equally or even more qualified than many who have been accepted. The major difference though, as with this entire process, is timing. Those who interviewed earlier had a better chance for an acceptance.

To Kac and Docsmom's son: you both appear to be stellar applicants, and I'll almost guarantee that you will both be accepted by solid MD programs. If it doesn't work out this year, make sure you get your applications submitted ASAP next year.

However, I have a good feeling though that the waitlist will be moving pretty well this year. I'm pulling hard for those that really want TCMC. I can't wait to start!
 
I was waitlisted with 30, 3.63, IS, currently working as a research technician and have various volunteer experiences, both clinical and non-clinical. I think that the opportunities to get involved in research at TCMC will be great! I truly loved this school and I hope the waitlist will move! May 15th is a long time to wait....

Good luck to all on the waitlist!
 
I am just wondering if being waitlisted early (december) translates to a higher rank on the wait list and a better chance of being accepted, since if you are waitlisted early that means you interviewed early. I am not sure if there was any rhyme or reason to the order in which they invited people to interview, but I guess it can't hurt to hope... good luck to everyone on the wait list! I hope we get good news soon-ish....

This might help make things a little clearer. In late December, I read in the Scranton Times that TCMC had already accepted over 40 students and was offering 90 interviews for January. Now, it's late February so open spots are definitely limited, if they even exist. Therefore, more people than usual had to be rejected/waitlisted in the past two weeks or so.

I'm sure many that applicants who got rejected or waitlisted are equally or even more qualified than many who have been accepted. The major difference though, as with this entire process, is timing. Those who interviewed earlier had a better chance for an acceptance.

To Kac and Docsmom's son: you both appear to be stellar applicants, and I'll almost guarantee that you will both be accepted by solid MD programs. If it doesn't work out this year, make sure you get your applications submitted ASAP next year.

However, I have a good feeling though that the waitlist will be moving pretty well this year. I'm pulling hard for those that really want TCMC. I can't wait to start!
 
http://www.scrantontimes.com/articl...90111.a.pg3.tt11medschool_s1.2218252_top5.txt

This article says 25 students are already committed to being part of the charter class. Does that seem like a lot? I hope that doesnt mean less mobility for the waitlisted kids. Congratulations to everyone who will be attending this fall!

That article was from January 11th. The charter class seems to be almost full, if not completely full by now. Depending on how many people decide to follow through and matriculate here, there may be very little, if any, waitlist movement this year.
 
I'm guessing that the twenty-five students who have committed to attend means that twenty-five applicants have submitted deposits. This is great news for TCMC but those remaining thirty-five spots are going to be hard to come by with what seems like many very well qualified applicants being turned down and what a large waitlist (if SDN is any indicator).

Then again, as the application season progresses, students who receive offers from other institutions may decide that even with a deposit submitted, they want to attend another school. It happens every year so I wouldn't read too much into the tea leaves on that Times Tribune article.

In any event, good luck to those who are waitlisted. Hopefully we'll all find a home for the class of 2013.

Edit: more digging around at the Times Tribune website yielded this article: apparently 1300 applications received, 300 interviews thus far (as of January 28) with another 100 scheduled.
 
aren't deposits refundable until may 15?
 
Hey,

I've recently been waitlisted. This might be a stupid question, but I was curious how waitlisting works. When they call people on the waitlist on say, May 16th, the people have to give them yes or no answers quickly don't they? So, they should have their class formed by like the end of May, right? I know of people that have gotten acceptances from schools in July and August. I don't understand how that happens. Can someone explain this to me please. I'm trying to plan for the next year as if I'm not getting in, but I don't want to find out too late that I got in. Thanks.
 
Every school is different, and it depends on where you are on the wait list. TCMC has said that they plan to let us know as soon as space is available in the charter class, but I have heard of other people at different schools being notified in July that they were accepted and had to move last-minute. Hopefully there will be a lot of mobility on the list at TCMC and we will know a lot sooner than that, and get ready to start our lives as med students with at least a couple of months to plan, move, etc. Good luck!

Hey,

I've recently been waitlisted. This might be a stupid question, but I was curious how waitlisting works. When they call people on the waitlist on say, May 16th, the people have to give them yes or no answers quickly don't they? So, they should have their class formed by like the end of May, right? I know of people that have gotten acceptances from schools in July and August. I don't understand how that happens. Can someone explain this to me please. I'm trying to plan for the next year as if I'm not getting in, but I don't want to find out too late that I got in. Thanks.
 
Every school is different, and it depends on where you are on the wait list. TCMC has said that they plan to let us know as soon as space is available in the charter class, but I have heard of other people at different schools being notified in July that they were accepted and had to move last-minute. Hopefully there will be a lot of mobility on the list at TCMC and we will know a lot sooner than that, and get ready to start our lives as med students with at least a couple of months to plan, move, etc. Good luck!

Hopefully waitlists should start moving soon. I imagine people are holding multiple spots while they wait on financial aid info. Once that starts coming in, it will be easier for people to make a definitive choice. Good luck!!
 
TheNobleNoir: waitlist movement does vary school to school, but the movement you've heard about in July and August occurs as a consequence of people getting off waitlists at one school and deciding to attend elsewhere, or receiving better financial aid packages at a school other than the one they had intended to enter.

I would assume that such movement is rare and that most waitlist movement will occur much closer to the May 15th date. In any event, this whole process is an adventure. Moving to a new city in short order isn't as bad as it sounds, and I speak from experience. You'll find a way to make it work if you need to relocate.
 
Hopefully the movement will occur even before the 5/15 date. The suspense is distracting me from my everyday life.

TheNobleNoir: waitlist movement does vary school to school, but the movement you've heard about in July and August occurs as a consequence of people getting off waitlists at one school and deciding to attend elsewhere, or receiving better financial aid packages at a school other than the one they had intended to enter.

I would assume that such movement is rare and that most waitlist movement will occur much closer to the May 15th date. In any event, this whole process is an adventure. Moving to a new city in short order isn't as bad as it sounds, and I speak from experience. You'll find a way to make it work if you need to relocate.
 
hi folks. i'm curious as to how many current 100% committed waitlistees we have that will matriculate if accepted. pm me (also include people that you know who are in the same boat) if you're in this situation. i'll post the numbers here (no names will be shared) for people to see. i'll try to update the data if and when more waitlistees are generated who fit the above criteria since there's still some remaining interview dates. thanks and best of luck to all.
 
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Get excited folks. According to the Scranton Times-Tribune The Commonwealth Medical College broke ground this week. Great, positive press. It sounds like they are well on their way to success. You can check the articles on the internet. We live about 1 1/2 hours away, so that's how I keep up with what's going on there.
 
I'm not that internet savvy to figure out how to post those things. Thanks for posting HeroesNBC. Anyone have info on where their MBS program stands in terms of accepted, available, progress on general curriculum, research, etc? Persistent, awesome son has applied there. Hoping good news for him down the road.
 
I haven't heard anything... I would really like this wait list to move soon!

I withdrew from the waitlist a couple of weeks ago. That should free up some space for somebody. This is going to be a great school!
 
Yay, well good luck wherever you go! :luck: I really hope I get in here. I have been waitlisted since December.

I withdrew from the waitlist a couple of weeks ago. That should free up some space for somebody. This is going to be a great school!
 
Hi all,

to my fellow waitlisters, does anyone know how the ranking works? is it based on the day they made the decision, or is it based on what they feel your candidacy is ranked?

I really hope we hear something soon, this is my one and only school so hopefully it goes well.

Good everyone
 
I talked to the admissions office and they said they have not ranked the wait list (as of maybe January or February) and hadn't decided how they were going to do it. I am not sure if it's first come/first serve (ie, earlier waitlistees have a better shot) or if they re-evaluate your application. I think they will probably give it a second look once they have the number of spots determined, but again, I'm not sure.

I hope we hear soon also :luck: Hopefully good news is on it's way.

Hi all,

to my fellow waitlisters, does anyone know how the ranking works? is it based on the day they made the decision, or is it based on what they feel your candidacy is ranked?

I really hope we hear something soon, this is my one and only school so hopefully it goes well.

Good everyone
 
Thanks jenna111382 for the info. I'm anxiously waiting too. Don't want to reapply one more cycle.
 
just overheard the faculty (including the chair of our pharm dept) where I work talking about how they were being recruited up to TCMC. They weren't too psyched about living in scranton, but I think they're being offered up some big bucks.

You guys will be stealing away some quality faculty from plenty of good institutions.
 
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just overheard the faculty (including the chair of our pharm dept) where I work talking about how they were being recruited up to TCMC. They weren't too psyched about living in scranton, but I think they're being offered up some big bucks.

You guys will be stealing away some quality faculty from plenty of good institutions.

What school you in?
 
nope... i kinda want to email them, but at the same time don't want to bother them... i'm waitlisted.
 
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