New York COM (NYCOM) Discussion Thread 2012 - 2013

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Just wanted to let you guys know that i received my ii today 3/4/13 and interview is on 3/26/13. I submitted my secondary back in august. My stats are fine 3.7 Cgpa, 3.75 Sgpa, 30+ mcat, and OOS.

I wrote 3 letters of intent (yes i really want to go to this school).

Glad you got an ii!

But you were definitely not considered until now because you are way overqualified. They prob thought NYCOM was just your backup so I'm sure the LOIs helped and you'll probably get an acceptance as long as they have spots left.

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MD schools these days a rejecting tons of candidates with good stats...especially in NY, due to overwhelming amount of students. If NYCOM will take most of them the schools statistics are going to go up. I don't think they should ignore good candidates... They should interview and accept and some people will actually attend.
 
I keep hearing people say you have less free time in the DPC program and maybe this is due to the lectures being streamed but wouldn't it be safe to say that less time in lecture or watching lectures gives you more time to study and thus more free time?

Streaming the lectures at 2x speed and taking notes/reading slides is studying. So by going through the lectures, you are exposed to everything you have to know at least once in a passive manner. For PBL, you have to continuously look through material and you aren't really sure the depth you should go. So there is a lot more room for wasting time learning things you probably don't even need to know. The trade off is you probably get a very solid understanding, but at the cost of more time committed to it. From talking to a couple of students at NYIT, the lecture pathway def gives you more free time.

Overall, this concept of free time shouldn't be a priority. You are there spending nearly 70-80k a year to learn all this krap so just pick the program which you think you will thrive in. Just take advantage of the free time you have now.
 
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Streaming the lectures at 2x speed and taking notes/reading slides is studying. So by going through the lectures, you are exposed to everything you have to know at least once in a passive manner. For PBL, you have to continuously look through material and you aren't really sure the depth you should go. So there is a lot more room for wasting time learning things you probably don't even need to know. The trade off is you probably get a very solid understanding, but at the cost of more time committed to it. From talking to a couple of students at NYIT, the lecture pathway def gives you more free time.

Overall, this concept of free time shouldn't be a priority. You are there spending nearly 70-80k a year to learn all this krap so just pick the program which you think you will thrive in. Just take advantage of the free time you have now.

Also, an admissions officer told me that if you are accepted into DPC, you can switch back to lecture based within the first month.
 
I want an ii :cry: I want to go to this school so badly!
I won't give up hope until the end but I feel like an idiot clinging onto something that is simply not happening :scared:
 
Also, an admissions officer told me that if you are accepted into DPC, you can switch back to lecture based within the first month.

Yea I remember them saying that. But how can you really get a feel for what DPC is about just 1 month into it? I think the first 6-8 weeks they are grouped with the lecture students anyway.
 
I want an ii :cry: I want to go to this school so badly!
I won't give up hope until the end but I feel like an idiot clinging onto something that is simply not happening :scared:

Even if you get an interview invite now, its very, very likely they'll put you on the "waitlist". And oh yeah, they don't "reject" you. Just don't put much hope here.
 
Yea I remember them saying that. But how can you really get a feel for what DPC is about just 1 month into it? I think the first 6-8 weeks they are grouped with the lecture students anyway.

This is true... at least for c/o 2015 anyway. I'm not DPC, but I do know that all DPCers were in lecture with us for the "intro" course.
 
did anyone else here about St. barnabus hospital shut down it's rads residency program? screwed over all the curent residents. The worst part is the hospital kept all of the resident funding as well. Thought it would be important to know considering the hospital is affiliated with NYIT.

Yes but NYCOM has absolutely no say in those matters, unfortunately that was a hospital decision and they don't have to consult or ask permission from anybody, even an affiliated medical school.

Oh and guys, do yourselves a favor. Don't be suckered into the whole "DPC is better" mantra, because it's really not. Plus, it's more competitive--if you care about Honoring classes, for example (which residencies don't care about, you just need to Pass and kill the boards), well, only about 3-5 people can honor in DPC because it's always the top 10%...well, DPC is their own cohort (around 40 people) so that really sucks that only a few people honor as opposed to if you are in lecture-based, you have a much much better chance of
Honoring a system (do the math, top 10% for about 250 students, means more students can honor). Honoring may help you for some competitive specialties, but residencies could care less about lecture-based vs. PBL. Just rock the boards and show you're competent there...grades will not make up for poor board scores...but awesome board scores will matter of course, along with your "Pass" for your courses since all you need to do is Pass, and if you happen to Honor, than that's cool too...but you will have a less of a chance of Honoring in DPC, and have less structure or guidance. Believe me, DPC sounds cool and all and the ideal way to learn, but it's not what you think. Great for discussing literature and the classics, not for med school when your goal is to pass the first two years and prepare for boards, and DPC will eat up your free time. Not bashing DPC students. Just that program, because really, it's not worth it to be spending all that money to be told "teach yourself, sorry, no guidance, I'll keep 'facilitating' you guys as you discuss the wrong things and won't correct you until weeks later right before the exam."

Good luck!
 
Oh and guys, do yourselves a favor. Don't be suckered into the whole "DPC is better" mantra, because it's really not. Plus, it's more competitive--if you care about Honoring classes, for example (which residencies don't care about, you just need to Pass and kill the boards), well, only about 3-5 people can honor in DPC because it's always the top 10%...well, DPC is their own cohort (around 40 people) so that really sucks that only a few people honor as opposed to if you are in lecture-based, you have a much much better chance of
Honoring a system (do the math, top 10% for about 250 students, means more students can honor). Honoring may help you for some competitive specialties, but residencies could care less about lecture-based vs. PBL. Just rock the boards and show you're competent there...grades will not make up for poor board scores...but awesome board scores will matter of course, along with your "Pass" for your courses since all you need to do is Pass, and if you happen to Honor, than that's cool too...but you will have a less of a chance of Honoring in DPC, and have less structure or guidance. Believe me, DPC sounds cool and all and the ideal way to learn, but it's not what you think. Great for discussing literature and the classics, not for med school when your goal is to pass the first two years and prepare for boards, and DPC will eat up your free time. Not bashing DPC students. Just that program, because really, it's not worth it to be spending all that money to be told "teach yourself, sorry, no guidance, I'll keep 'facilitating' you guys as you discuss the wrong things and won't correct you until weeks later right before the exam."

Good luck!

Hahaha, facts!
 
Yes but NYCOM has absolutely no say in those matters, unfortunately that was a hospital decision and they don't have to consult or ask permission from anybody, even an affiliated medical school.

Oh and guys, do yourselves a favor. Don't be suckered into the whole "DPC is better" mantra, because it's really not. Plus, it's more competitive--if you care about Honoring classes, for example (which residencies don't care about, you just need to Pass and kill the boards), well, only about 3-5 people can honor in DPC because it's always the top 10%...well, DPC is their own cohort (around 40 people) so that really sucks that only a few people honor as opposed to if you are in lecture-based, you have a much much better chance of
Honoring a system (do the math, top 10% for about 250 students, means more students can honor). Honoring may help you for some competitive specialties, but residencies could care less about lecture-based vs. PBL. Just rock the boards and show you're competent there...grades will not make up for poor board scores...but awesome board scores will matter of course, along with your "Pass" for your courses since all you need to do is Pass, and if you happen to Honor, than that's cool too...but you will have a less of a chance of Honoring in DPC, and have less structure or guidance. Believe me, DPC sounds cool and all and the ideal way to learn, but it's not what you think. Great for discussing literature and the classics, not for med school when your goal is to pass the first two years and prepare for boards, and DPC will eat up your free time. Not bashing DPC students. Just that program, because really, it's not worth it to be spending all that money to be told "teach yourself, sorry, no guidance, I'll keep 'facilitating' you guys as you discuss the wrong things and won't correct you until weeks later right before the exam."

Good luck!

Hahaha, facts!


So I take it both of you are traditional curriculum students? I'm an accepted student trying to decide what I should do. I emailed with a student from the DPC program who loves it and recommends. How do you get an unbiased opinion??
 
So I take it both of you are traditional curriculum students? I'm an accepted student trying to decide what I should do. I emailed with a student from the DPC program who loves it and recommends. How do you get an unbiased opinion??

Like I said before. It is about how you learn best. If you want the structure and more free time..lecture is for you. If you want more freedom in what you study, like the idea of studying cases, and love text books, then PBL is for you. Apparently, if honoring matters to you then lecture is the way to go as well. I honestly think you will just waste too much time in PBL. Time is precious in med school.
 
Like I said before. It is about how you learn best. If you want the structure and more free time..lecture is for you. If you want more freedom in what you study, like the idea of studying cases, and love text books, then PBL is for you. Apparently, if honoring matters to you then lecture is the way to go as well. I honestly think you will just waste too much time in PBL. Time is precious in med school.

Why do you feel that PBL is a waste of time? People usually space out and do other things (sleep, text, surf the net) during lectures, so isn't that a waste of time then since then you have to study that stuff outside of lecture on your own time? And lectures (from what I understand from interview day) are from like 9-5 everyday so how do you have more free time? I'm just curious and very confused on which program to do!:scared:
 
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Why do you feel that PBL is a waste of time? People usually space out and do other things (sleep, text, surf the net) during lectures, so isn't that a waste of time then since then you have to study that stuff outside of lecture on your own time? And lectures (from what I understand from interview day) are from like 9-5 everyday so how do you have more free time? I'm just curious and very confused on which program to do!:scared:

No I definitely don't think it is waste of time. I am just saying you have more room to waste time studying things that you may not even need to know. This is because you have to guide yourself. You gain an in depth understanding of things for sure, but forget most of that info by the time you graduate anyway. In lecture, you know exactly what to study. Also the lectures may be 9-5..but you can also skip classes and stream them from your computer on 2x speed. Either way, you are going to be studying all the time.
 
So I take it both of you are traditional curriculum students? I'm an accepted student trying to decide what I should do. I emailed with a student from the DPC program who loves it and recommends. How do you get an unbiased opinion??

You aren't going to get an unbiased opinion unfortunately... the only thing I can tell you is that it really all depends on your personal preferences.

I'm not a textbook person, I'd much rather stream lectures and be told what to learn. That being said, when I don't understand something and I do consult a textbook, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the subject than if I just listened to some one talk about it. That would, I assume, be the argument for DPC... if you're forced to work it out on your own more or less and consult resources to facilitate your understanding you'll have a better grasp of the material. I can't speak to how effective that is since I'm not in DPC, but I know that personally that wouldn't work for me because it would be too tedious and time consuming even if it resulted in a firmer grasp of the material.

Additionally, I can comment on the fact that yes there is a lot of lecture. Is it 9-5? Maybe in the beginning (I think I've blurred the entire first half of first year), but it doesn't stay that way. Classes I'd say ON AVERAGE for spring of first year and second year are like 4 hours-ish per day. Are there still 7-8 hr days? Yes, but they're less numerous... you're more likely to have class from 8-12 on most days. 4 hours streaming close to 2x speed can be done in about 2 hours and gives you ample time to review the material (and in my case study for boards).

It's not that DPC is "bad", it just wouldn't work FOR ME. I've been in lectures my whole life... its what I'm comfortable with, and I wasn't going to change up my learning style at this stage in the game.
 
Like I said before. It is about how you learn best. If you want the structure and more free time..lecture is for you. If you want more freedom in what you study, like the idea of studying cases, and love text books, then PBL is for you. Apparently, if honoring matters to you then lecture is the way to go as well. I honestly think you will just waste too much time in PBL. Time is precious in med school.

He is right on the money. I too considerd applying for DPC, but here's the thing. It IS wonderful to read these textbooks and sift your way through medical knowledge and become a pioneer in your medial education...but you can always do that on your own time. In DPC, sometimes students struggle because they learn all this information from all these sources and then when the exam comes, sometimes it's like "where did they get this question from? This question is unfair because different books say different things, etc." Look, I'm not saying lecture is easier, because it's not. And med school isn't supposed to be easy. But the first two years are rough...why would you make your life even more difficult and have to worry about reading all this extra info. that you could very well read on your own time. What I'm saying is that the first two years are meant to prepare you for your rotations. Lecture does that just fine with its patient encounters and labs. In lecture there is
An added bonus of seeing previous exams and you could learn from them, too. That also helps for boards because one of the best ways to study for boards is doing questions a thousand times, etc. You will receive a fine education if you do lecture or DPC but again, your path will be harder in DPC and in the "time to apply for residency" world, no one cares what track you chose (most schools don't even have separate tracks); just pass and learn to take breaks and not burn out.

I have many friends in DPC who still watch the lectures from the lecture track because they feel that they are explained better than a book can. And DPC students still have to watch all of the anatomy and OMM lectures that lecture kids have, for their DPCexams....case in point, do lecture, make your life easier but still learn as much as you can. No one says med school has to be hell, but man oh man what I see the poor DPC students going through is just madness.
 
Why do you feel that PBL is a waste of time? People usually space out and do other things (sleep, text, surf the net) during lectures, so isn't that a waste of time then since then you have to study that stuff outside of lecture on your own time? And lectures (from what I understand from interview day) are from like 9-5 everyday so how do you have more free time? I'm just curious and very confused on which program to do!:scared:

Lecture is not really 9-5 anymore. Plus, class is not mandatory and if you stream the lectures on your own time, make yourself an efficient schedule, you will be fine.

In DPC you have to attend group sessions 3x a week and spend some of it arguing with other group members which learning issue you need to choose (neuro? Physio?.) All that silliness in trying to decide what to learn and convincing your group that this topic is more important than the other (you guys aren't in law school lol) can be avoided if you are just told what to learn and have the luxury of learning it on your own time, without that added dilemma of there being a slacker in your group. Do lecture and hold yourself accountable, and if you want to form study groups with whoever you want, by all means do it up.
 
From what I have seen from previous years, it is quite high..like very high. I don't remember where the numbers are but I remember it being basically ii=acceptance So unless you really screw uop the interview, you fair a good chance.

has anyone from the 2/19 interview heard anything?
 
Does NYCOM update all interviewers about their statuses? Has anyone been waitlisted yet? A few of my friends still haven't heard anything from interviewing in January.
 
Has anyone else called for an update lately?
 
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I called today and they said my app was still under review. I'm not sure what that means because information about calling nycom admissions varies on theses forums. One individual wrote on another thread that they called admissions the day prior to receiving their acceptance and they told them it was still under review. Has anyone else called for an update lately?

I called on Monday and they said my file was still under review as well. I interviewed back in January. Idk what's taking so long. I know people that had interviews mid February and heard back within a week.
 
Is there a known time that the adcom meets, or does it seem to be pretty random?

For those who are torn between DPC and lecture, Dr. McMahon (I believe that is the name of the Director of DPC) said that if you email her, she can link you up wtih a student from a similar academic background to discuss DPC. Once you are accepted, she said that you can go and observe DPC if you'd like.
 
I was recently accepted, is there a facebook group for this class? Also I was reading your threads about DPC you can actually sit in on a class if you message the director of the program this summer. I think I am going to do that to see what it is all about. A lot of people say you do get more free time by going through lecture based, but apparently board scores on average are higher for DPC students.
 
I was recently accepted, is there a facebook group for this class? Also I was reading your threads about DPC you can actually sit in on a class if you message the director of the program this summer. I think I am going to do that to see what it is all about. A lot of people say you do get more free time by going through lecture based, but apparently board scores on average are higher for DPC students.

Yes, I spoke with her this past week and she said you are more than welcome to sit in on a group. However, I'm not sure what they have going on over the summer. Are there still classes or do they have the summer off? This is something you may want to find out if you are interested in sitting in on a group meeting, because you'd have to do it in the next few months maybe
 
Yes, I spoke with her this past week and she said you are more than welcome to sit in on a group. However, I'm not sure what they have going on over the summer. Are there still classes or do they have the summer off? This is something you may want to find out if you are interested in sitting in on a group meeting, because you'd have to do it in the next few months maybe

Yes its something like that I didnt know the details but I was interested in the program and they said once your accepted you can sit in on a class. I do want to honor my classes but I want to destroy the boards allopathic and osteopathic so I would like a program that would give me an edge if this is true.
 
but apparently board scores on average are higher for DPC students.

There is no proof of this.
Generally though, I feel the students who go into DPC naturally assume a competitive edge considering it is harder to get honors when you are competing for a top 10% spot out of 40-50 people...so that could translate to a slightly higher average board score. That is just a complete assumption though. I want to know median board score.

I have talked to a few ms3/ms4's and they said there was no difference. Again, you should pick which track will be best suited for your learning.
Also if you get more free time in the lecture pathway, you can use that time to study for boards.
 
There is no proof of this.
Generally though, I feel the students who go into DPC naturally assume a competitive edge considering it is harder to get honors when you are competing for a top 10% spot out of 40-50 people...so that could translate to a slightly higher average board score. That is just a complete assumption though. I want to know median board score.

I have talked to a few ms3/ms4's and they said there was no difference. Again, you should pick which track will be best suited for your learning.
Also if you get more free time in the lecture pathway, you can use that time to study for boards.

I asked about performance on boards between DPC/lecture students when I interviewed. Dr. McMahon said they are comparable.
 
Just a note on boards as I'm currently studying for them... in my opinion your success on boards has less to do with your class performance and more about your ability to properly prepare for the boards themselves. (Anybody feel free to disagree with me, this is just my opinion)

Using this logic I'd say that the lecture track affords you more free time to study for boards and thus a greater chance to score well. That's not to say that people who do well in class and get good grades don't have an advantage for boards... if you get honors in every class you're obviously preparing well and are extremely smart and that alone should influence your board scores. But what I'm saying is that 1) you aren't going to remember stuff that you did in September of first year by the time march of 2nd year comes around, and 2) there's a substantial amount of material that flat out is not covered in lecture that you need time to study for boards. In this regard, time is your friend, and in my opinion you have more of it in a lecture based track.
 
I was recently accepted, is there a facebook group for this class? Also I was reading your threads about DPC you can actually sit in on a class if you message the director of the program this summer. I think I am going to do that to see what it is all about. A lot of people say you do get more free time by going through lecture based, but apparently board scores on average are higher for DPC students.


Of course the averge will tend to be higher, you are mathematically comparing 40 students vs. 240 :p
 
Just a note on boards as I'm currently studying for them... in my opinion your success on boards has less to do with your class performance and more about your ability to properly prepare for the boards themselves. (Anybody feel free to disagree with me, this is just my opinion)

Using this logic I'd say that the lecture track affords you more free time to study for boards and thus a greater chance to score well. That's not to say that people who do well in class and get good grades don't have an advantage for boards... if you get honors in every class you're obviously preparing well and are extremely smart and that alone should influence your board scores. But what I'm saying is that 1) you aren't going to remember stuff that you did in September of first year by the time march of 2nd year comes around, and 2) there's a substantial amount of material that flat out is not covered in lecture that you need time to study for boards. In this regard, time is your friend, and in my opinion you have more of it in a lecture based track.

I couldn't have said it better myself :)
 
I interviewed last week and was wondering if anyone knows how full the class is at this point. I've read on here that basically "II=acceptance" for most students and the 2nd years said the same thing but it is late in the cycle so I'm not even sure if they are just interviewing for the waitlist at this point. Anyone have any insight?
 
Hello! I got an acceptance letter two weeks ago. It took me four years applying to get accepted to school. I had retake my mcat three times. I just wanted to post this so no one loses hope! If there is a will there is a way!
 
Hello! I got an acceptance letter two weeks ago. It took me four years applying to get accepted to school. I had retake my mcat three times. I just wanted to post this so no one loses hope! If there is a will there is a way!

This is great !!! :) That shows great dedication, You will be a great doctor !!
 
Interviewed on 3/6. Hello to everyone I met at the interview. Pretty relaxed and friendly school. Anyone know when is the earliest I will be hearing back from them?
 
Interviewed on 3/6. Hello to everyone I met at the interview. Pretty relaxed and friendly school. Anyone know when is the earliest I will be hearing back from them?

The turn around in mid February seemed to be 2-3 weeks. I am still waiting on my decision and I interviewed 2/28. Fingers crossed!!! :)
 
Is NYCOM still sending out interviews? I want to come here. c: 3.67, s: 3.51 MCAT 29S. I applied mid Jan..
 
I am interviewing tomorrow morning, any last minute advice?
Yup, be yourself. Literally nothing else is needed and If i took that to heart on my first interview I would've been accepted to all the schools I interviewed at (not being cocky just feel that's what I didn't know or believe the first time around). Most under appreciated piece of advice and I truly believe that. Very relaxed so enjoy the day and good luck.
 
I am interviewing tomorrow morning, any last minute advice?

It's a very laid back interview. Just honestly be yourself and talk about what you are genuinely interested in, and it will feel more like a conversation than an interview. Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great!
 
Is NYCOM still sending out interviews? I want to come here. c: 3.67, s: 3.51 MCAT 29S. I applied mid Jan..

Are you in-state? I have MUCH lower stats than you and I got an ii, so dont be discouraged!
 
Born and raised in NY, currently live in the city, had a rough start freshman and sophomore years when I started undergrad in 2000, took a break from school to work, went back when matured a bit and finished degree a few years ago, so overall GPA is 3.0, science is 3.25, MCAT 33S, submitted secondary first week of January, have 2 years of research experience at Columbia U, 9 months experience as NYC EMT (weekends), and just had two DO letters received by the school on 3/4.

Have been accepted to another school several states away, but for many reasons would prefer to stay in the NY area - would a letter of intent be a good idea? Or any other type of expression of interested? This is absolutely my first choice, this whole med school application process has been a bit of a learning curve for me as I have gone through it, especially with working 7 days a week to get my EMT experience in, wishing I had applied earlier in general, but still hopeful.

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
Born and raised in NY, currently live in the city, had a rough start freshman and sophomore years when I started undergrad in 2000, took a break from school to work, went back when matured a bit and finished degree a few years ago, so overall GPA is 3.0, science is 3.25, MCAT 33S, submitted secondary first week of January, have 2 years of research experience at Columbia U, 9 months experience as NYC EMT (weekends), and just had two DO letters received by the school on 3/4.

Have been accepted to another school several states away, but for many reasons would prefer to stay in the NY area - would a letter of intent be a good idea? Or any other type of expression of interested? This is absolutely my first choice, this whole med school application process has been a bit of a learning curve for me as I have gone through it, especially with working 7 days a week to get my EMT experience in, wishing I had applied earlier in general, but still hopeful.

Thanks for any suggestions!

I would definitely send a letter of intent and express your interest. Although your gpa is on the low side the mcat is awesome. Just send them an update and tell them this is your absolute top choice. If you look at last years thread, there were people getting accepted in march so don't lose hope.
 
I would definitely send a letter of intent and express your interest. Although your gpa is on the low side the mcat is awesome. Just send them an update and tell them this is your absolute top choice. If you look at last years thread, there were people getting accepted in march so don't lose hope.

Thanks littlegreen - will do!
 
I recently got accepted to NYIT-COM, I was wondering if they had requirements for spring 2013 grades. I wanted to pass fail a class and i know that many schools don't allow this or any grades C or below. If anyone knows please let me know. Thank you!
 
I recently got accepted to NYIT-COM, I was wondering if they had requirements for spring 2013 grades. I wanted to pass fail a class and i know that many schools don't allow this or any grades C or below. If anyone knows please let me know. Thank you!

It says on the website what the requirements are. It only matters for the prerequisites I believe. You should call them today and ask them though. I did that because I was unsure of a prerequisite class I took and the director of admissions personally went over my app. Ultimately he said I was fine but I was panicking a little because I knew I would have to somehow retake this class before I started school! But def call them right now and straighten it out without any doubts.
 
I recently got accepted to NYIT-COM, I was wondering if they had requirements for spring 2013 grades. I wanted to pass fail a class and i know that many schools don't allow this or any grades C or below. If anyone knows please let me know. Thank you!

Congrats on your acceptance! btw when did you have your interview and when did you get accepted if you don't mind?
 
I recently got accepted to NYIT-COM, I was wondering if they had requirements for spring 2013 grades. I wanted to pass fail a class and i know that many schools don't allow this or any grades C or below. If anyone knows please let me know. Thank you!

They don't care, as most schools wont...just pass and graduate and enjoy your summer! :)
 
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