NYCOM Discussion thread 2007-2008

[Matasanos]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I sent my application the last week in October, got a letter from them telling me that they had received it and would contact me if interested in interviewing me, and then I didn't hear anything until 3 weeks ago, when they invited me to interview.

 

[rb2200]

hi, is anyone interviewing in February?

 

[jade1013]

Is it likely to get an interview invite from NYCOM at this point? Does anybody know how many applications they receive each year and how many are interviewed out of those applicants? : /

 

[jade1013]

bump

help please!

 

[CanAmPremed]

Bump from me too.

I was complete around the middle of october. Received that same letter saying they received my stats and nothing still...not a peep.

I thought with my stats (3.6 30N) I would at least get an interview....I guess its more competitive this year.

 

[jade1013]

yeah i have a 3.76 and a 28Q...i thought i would get an interview as well : /

 

[arboth]

so nycom is not interviewing anymore? fuqin dbags. screw them.

 

[ssisterdoc]

Keep your head up--I received an interview invite from them yesterday. I was complete in late September but will probably withdraw.

 

[arboth]

yeah, its getting really late in the game and im starting to lose hope. oh well, lets see how the dice rolls. did you find out via email or snail?

 

[hopefool]

HELLO ALL,

I am a post-bac premed student takin his pre-reqs. I graduated Cornell two years back with a bad gpa, 2.5 but in my pre-reqs I have a 3.8 clip. I have good volunteer and research experience and feel confident that I can do well on the MCAT. By the time I finish my pre-reqs my gpa should be up around a 2.9-3.0. My science gpa will be good, at least a 3.7 or so. If my gpa is a 3.0
what kind of MCAT score will I need to get into NYCOM?

This is my top choice school as I want to stay close to home, for personal reasons, one being that my girlfriend cannot travel. Is that something I should mention in an application or to the dean? I have heard of prospective students establishing contact with deans of schools and getting information as to what the school looks for. If I really show the school that I am interested in going specifically there, will that make a difference in my being accepted?

THANKS EVERYONE!

 

[spazzz]

are you retaking classes? It's going to be a long road to bring it from a 2.5 to a 3.0...took me 46 credits to get .3 points. MAking friends is always good, especially if it's with a dean. Not sure if mentioning a girlfriend not being able to travel as a legit reason to attend med school in an area though.

 

[cgjock80]

I got an interview yesterday, via snail mail, and am scheduled to interview the 21st. I was complete there since around the holidays. Good luck to you all

 

[theserbatron]

HELLO ALL,

I am a post-bac premed student takin his pre-reqs. I graduated Cornell two years back with a bad gpa, 2.5 but in my pre-reqs I have a 3.8 clip. I have good volunteer and research experience and feel confident that I can do well on the MCAT. By the time I finish my pre-reqs my gpa should be up around a 2.9-3.0. My science gpa will be good, at least a 3.7 or so. If my gpa is a 3.0
what kind of MCAT score will I need to get into NYCOM?

This is my top choice school as I want to stay close to home, for personal reasons, one being that my girlfriend cannot travel. Is that something I should mention in an application or to the dean? I have heard of prospective students establishing contact with deans of schools and getting information as to what the school looks for. If I really show the school that I am interested in going specifically there, will that make a difference in my being accepted?

THANKS EVERYONE!

there's no magical formula for MCAT and GPA combinations to get in to any school. anything you can do to show interest is a good thing, but the first thing i would recommend is getting your classes all finished up and doing as well as possible on the MCAT.

try to learn more about the school and what makes it a good program. location and proximity to home are reasons everyone spouts for going to this or that school. were you encouraged by a professor or current students? do they have a primary care focus that you identify with? are you interested in a dual-degree program? try to read behind the lines, visit the campus, and talk to students to try and get a feel of what it's really like.

when it does come time to apply, a good personal statement will work wonders. knowing people always helps too 🙂 good luck

 

[happygirl3]

HELLO ALL,

I am a post-bac premed student takin his pre-reqs. I graduated Cornell two years back with a bad gpa, 2.5 but in my pre-reqs I have a 3.8 clip. I have good volunteer and research experience and feel confident that I can do well on the MCAT. By the time I finish my pre-reqs my gpa should be up around a 2.9-3.0. My science gpa will be good, at least a 3.7 or so. If my gpa is a 3.0
what kind of MCAT score will I need to get into NYCOM?

This is my top choice school as I want to stay close to home, for personal reasons, one being that my girlfriend cannot travel. Is that something I should mention in an application or to the dean? I have heard of prospective students establishing contact with deans of schools and getting information as to what the school looks for. If I really show the school that I am interested in going specifically there, will that make a difference in my being accepted?

THANKS EVERYONE!

I just wanted to tell you that I can really relate to your concerns about staying close to home, you definitely don't want to bring this up in your application process. The reason why is that medical schools want to know that you have thought long and hard about the fact that you want to be a doctor, and they don't want to think that you are choosing their school because of location etc. (Even if that does influence your decision, which it usually does). As for your application itself--you definitely have a good shot at NYCOM as long as you keep bringing up your GPA and work hard to get a good MCAT score. Like the previous poster stated, there's no real cut-off MCAT score for NYCOM, atleast none that I know of. I had a 30 MCAT, but I know a friend who got in with a 25...so everything is possible. Good luck to you! 🙂

 

[hopefool]

Thanks to all the posters!!! and I apologize for hijacking the thread 😎

I am not retaking classes, so my science gpa will be very good. After pre-reqs at a 3.0 roughly. Just tryin to make a decision over whether or not to attend a caribbean school like Ross next year or take another 3-4 years at least to try and get into a US MD or DO school.

I would like to get on with things, ya know?

 

[KG86]

I just wanted to tell you that I can really relate to your concerns about staying close to home, you definitely don't want to bring this up in your application process. The reason why is that medical schools want to know that you have thought long and hard about the fact that you want to be a doctor, and they don't want to think that you are choosing their school because of location etc. (Even if that does influence your decision, which it usually does). As for your application itself--you definitely have a good shot at NYCOM as long as you keep bringing up your GPA and work hard to get a good MCAT score. Like the previous poster stated, there's no real cut-off MCAT score for NYCOM, atleast none that I know of. I had a 30 MCAT, but I know a friend who got in with a 25...so everything is possible. Good luck to you! 🙂

You can tell them you want to stay close to home, if thats a reason you're applying. I said that to my interviewer at NYCOM and everything went fine, got an acceptance a week later. You just have to be honest.

 

[theserbatron]

Like the previous poster stated, there's no real cut-off MCAT score for NYCOM, atleast none that I know of. I had a 30 MCAT, but I know a friend who got in with a 25...so everything is possible. Good luck to you! 🙂

I would just add to this that when you get to the interview stage, you've passed the GPA/MCAT cut off, and your acceptance will lie in how you did and what they think of your application overall.

It's hard to get any data on schools' MCAT or GPA standards, so I would avoid shooting for any score in particular. Shoot as high as possible and keep working hard. Cheers! 👍

 

[fbf]

Did anyone receive any financial (loan) info yet? I am thinking about taking a vacation for a month or two but don't want to miss anything. Anyone has a rough idea when we will hear from the school again? 😕

 

[happygirl3]

They will be sending us things after you've submitted your FAFSA and it has been processed...

Did anyone receive any financial (loan) info yet? I am thinking about taking a vacation for a month or two but don't want to miss anything. Anyone has a rough idea when we will hear from the school again? 😕

 

[Eudjinn]

I'm still waiting on my taxes to do my fafsa... is anyone already done with theirs?

 

[Saregamapadanis]

I'm still waiting on my taxes to do my fafsa... is anyone already done with theirs?

No I am in the same position as you, still waiting on taxes for 2007. I am wondering if they need my credit report , Kcumb asked me for it, does nycom also do the same thing?

 

[JasonUD]

Is it likely to get an interview invite from NYCOM at this point? Does anybody know how many applications they receive each year and how many are interviewed out of those applicants? : /

NYCOM interviews from November-May so we're only about half way through the season. There is still a very good chance for people to receive interview invites. While the interview season is now late for other schools, its not for NYCOM.

 

[lilzelda2]

I don't know about the dress code, but mandatory attendence and the extremely difficult program just goes to show that they will break you , mold you and make you into a very good physician 😎👍

I just thought this was funny b/c I don't think mandatory attendance is going to make u a good physician and NYCOM doesn't have an extremely difficult program. But u do waste alot of time listening to some lectures.

And as of an hour and twenty minutes ago we no longer have mandatory attendance. It seems the dean really doesn't like it when people click into class and then leave to go study. Instead to make people come to class, 80% of the class has to be present so the lecture can be streamed. How they take this 80% was not discussed and he just pretty much walked out after telling us this.

NYCOM's not perfect, but I think you should think long and hard about coming here. Technology wise it offers alot but I think some of the other things are def. overrated, if u want to do well on Step 1 I wouldn't come here either.

 

[Bug1982]

Hello Lilzelda2,

I was hoping you could elaborate on your last response. I currently have an acceptance to Touro-NY and an interview coming up with NYCOM on the 27th. I have always thought of NYCOM as one of the top DO schools and I was thrilled to receive an interview.

After researching many of the NYCOM posts, it seems maybe it is not the ideal school? I have seen numerous posts about how disorganized the school is, the lecture notes are not on time, you cannot make appointments with the dean, the class sizes are too large, and now you mentioned poor performances on Step 1.

Could you elaborate on your experience at NYCOM. Keeping my fingers crossed that I am accepted, I will have a huge decision to make in the near future and I would like all the information I can gather.

Thank you for your help!🙂

 

[Eudjinn]

I just thought this was funny b/c I don't think mandatory attendance is going to make u a good physician and NYCOM doesn't have an extremely difficult program. But u do waste alot of time listening to some lectures.

And as of an hour and twenty minutes ago we no longer have mandatory attendance. It seems the dean really doesn't like it when people click into class and then leave to go study. Instead to make people come to class, 80% of the class has to be present so the lecture can be streamed. How they take this 80% was not discussed and he just pretty much walked out after telling us this.

NYCOM's not perfect, but I think you should think long and hard about coming here. Technology wise it offers alot but I think some of the other things are def. overrated, if u want to do well on Step 1 I wouldn't come here either.

This scares me. If I attend the lecture (I plan to attend most) and miss something or would like to review the lecture, if 80% of the class wasn't present now I can't stream the lecture? How fair is it to punish those that did show up?

I guess on the plus side now we won't be penalized for not attending lectures... except we can't stream them if we don't go!

 

[MystA RavE]

The last thing I wanted to hear was that they instated some new stupid policies. It's sad that they treat medical students like elementary school children. "You've been a very bad student, no streaming for you today!" What kind of ridiculous punishment is this for something that cost $40,000.

 

[Saregamapadanis]

NYCOM's not perfect, but I think you should think long and hard about coming here. Technology wise it offers alot but I think some of the other things are def. overrated, if u want to do well on Step 1 I wouldn't come here either.

Study hard, study everything , not just the stuff they teach you in the lectures. you will do just fine.

 

[blahwhatever]

I'm a bit confused. Why does our physical presence at lectures matter so much?

Especially when it makes more sense to just view the lectures at home, and study during the time spent driving to and from NYCOM. The students who want to attend lectures and ask a lot of questions (if that's what they do) can go to lecture.

 

[docem]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion - but know that those who post on SDN are not necessarily representative of the NYCOM student population as a whole. I think the students who are more frustrated tend to post here as away to see what other students are feeling and that in general people tend to post the negative things rather than the positives as a venting mechanism.

I am a first year and generally I really like it here and I would certainly have picked it over Touro-NY had I applied there. NYCOM is going through a bit of a rough transition, one that has been more difficult for the 2nd years. However, it still has a great reputation in Long Island as well as New York City -and there is a large network of NYCOM graduates out there. I worked at a competitive New York City allopathic academic hospital for many years before coming to NYCOM and all of the physicians there had nothing but good things to say about NYCOM and its graduates. They all encouraged me to pursue my training here.

Believe me I am a little ticked about what went down today with the new policy because I feel that it penalizes students who do show up. But overall I am very happy here. If you go into any school believing that it is going to be the perfect school than you are mistaken. EVERY institution has its problems you just need to choose for you if the good outweighs the bad. I remember reading these boards last year wondering if I had made a mistake in choosing this school - but I have no regrets. Generally the faculty is great and supportive especially the anatomy dept. I personally have only had a problem with a selective few professors. The administration needs a little more work on how to effectively support students though.

I still believe that NYCOM is a top DO school and no matter where you go your success your first two years is Dependant on how hard you work and that you ask for help when you are having a rough time. Same with boards and same with the rest of your medical career.

Just my opinion.

Hello Lilzelda2,

I was hoping you could elaborate on your last response. I currently have an acceptance to Touro-NY and an interview coming up with NYCOM on the 27th. I have always thought of NYCOM as one of the top DO schools and I was thrilled to receive an interview.

After researching many of the NYCOM posts, it seems maybe it is not the ideal school? I have seen numerous posts about how disorganized the school is, the lecture notes are not on time, you cannot make appointments with the dean, the class sizes are too large, and now you mentioned poor performances on Step 1.

Could you elaborate on your experience at NYCOM. Keeping my fingers crossed that I am accepted, I will have a huge decision to make in the near future and I would like all the information I can gather.

Thank you for your help!🙂

 

[Saregamapadanis]

I still believe that NYCOM is a top DO school and no matter where you go your success your first two years is Dependant on how hard you work and that you ask for help when you are having a rough time. Same with boards and same with the rest of your medical career.

Just my opinion.

Not just your opinion, I think thats the opinion i have seen pretty ubiquitous around long island and new york city, in my interactions atleast.

 

[lilzelda2]

.

I still believe that NYCOM is a top DO school and no matter where you go your success your first two years is Dependant on how hard you work and that you ask for help when you are having a rough time. Same with boards and same with the rest of your medical career.

Just my opinion.

Okay I've calmed down a bit.

I've honored every class at NYCOM, so I'm not like oh man its so hard b/c I don't think it is. What I do worry about is how applicable some of the material I'm learning is to Step 1. For Step 1 I think last yr lecture pass rate was 81% and DPC was in the 90s. Thats overall I believe and not just first time. I think thats an okay pass rate, from what I've been told studying for Step 1 early and using board books and Q banks is the best way to go.

I don't think NYCOM is a bad school, when it comes to NYCOM vs Touro-NY. I would probably do NYCOM right now b/c Touro is still a young school but in ten yrs that might be different. NYCOM vs PCOM now thats a different story.

NYCOM does has good clinicals and a good match list. At the end of the day that is really the only thing that calms me when I think about all the money I'm spending.

I'm second yr so my experince is going to be diff. from the first yrs. You could always check out their thread in the Osteopath section and ask them questions, but overall NYCOM is okay I don't recommend it but I won't say not to go here.

 

[Giddyup5]

its a little troubling reading all the negative stuff about NYCOM here and in the class threads from 2010 and 2011. I really hope i get in someplace else soo i at least have a choice.

Either that or pray i get into the PBL course because I haven't heard anything positive about NYCOM in a while.

 

[Vee]

its a little troubling reading all the negative stuff about NYCOM here and in the class threads from 2010 and 2011. I really hope i get in someplace else soo i at least have a choice.

Either that or pray i get into the PBL course because I haven't heard anything positive about NYCOM in a while.

The problem is that NYCOM is going through a transition phase. There is always unrest during change, hence the complaints. The fact of the matter is that NYCOM still produces very good physicians and has excellent clinical years (3 and 4). The match list is impressive and the NYCOM is known in the clinical world. I would not be too concerned about attending NYCOM and would choose it again any day (and yes, I had a choice). It's all about the big picture and my future as a physician, not the current petty arguments and power plays that are going on.

 

[jp104]

its a little troubling reading all the negative stuff about NYCOM here and in the class threads from 2010 and 2011. I really hope i get in someplace else soo i at least have a choice.

Either that or pray i get into the PBL course because I haven't heard anything positive about NYCOM in a while.

FWIW, I still like it here. However, I am extremely annoyed by some of the decisions that have been made regarding our education. I am hoping that some meaningful dialogue will occur between us and the administration. Unrealistic...maybe, but this is the school I attend and I can either b**tch about it, or try to be productive.

 

[Bug1982]

Vee,

What type of transition is NYCOM going through? Are you strictly talking about the lecture attendance change?

Thanks!

 

[Vee]

Vee,

What type of transition is NYCOM going through? Are you strictly talking about the lecture attendance change?

Thanks!

the big thing has been the attendance policy. it changed at the beginning of the year (to the clickers and mandatory attendance) and now it's changing again, to attendance not being mandatory anymore but with them holding streaming over our heads if we don't show up. that is the latest, large source of controversy.

 

[Thisbitterpill]

wow, i'm not gonna lie, reading all this has been really upsetting. I was finally feeling confident with my decision to send a deposit to NYCOM and now all this! I turned down acceptances at University of New England, TOURO-NY, LECOM, and MSUCOM. Hope this isn't a mistake. Please Please Please post something positive people!

 

[theserbatron]

wow, i'm not gonna lie, reading all this has been really upsetting. I was finally feeling confident with my decision to send a deposit to NYCOM and now all this! I turned down acceptances at University of New England, TOURO-NY, LECOM, and MSUCOM. Hope this isn't a mistake. Please Please Please post something positive people!

i would try to PM some of the individuals in the other NYCOM threads (c/o 2011 and c/o 2010 have been very honest and helpful for me) and try to get some actual students' take on the school. no school is perfect, but for your own purposes you'll have to find the best balance of academic quality, size, reputation, location, matchlist, etc and select accordingly. reading a post on the general discussion thread is probably the worst way to pick a school.

 

[jp104]

I don't think the streaming thing is such a big deal. If you go to lecture you are 90% of the way there. If the lecturer is horrible (and believe me some really really are) they usually have decent notes/handouts.

My main complaint is that some of our lecturers for this system (Neuro) are teaching us clinical material without giving us the basis to understand them. A small example of this is all of the acronyms used in a clinical setting. There are also some gaps in our education regarding basic sciences. We're taught alot of "abnormal" without knowing what "normal" is. However, I feel this is something I can control by looking up the material online or reading textbooks.

In my opinion the majority of complaints about NYCOM are caused by change. The 2nd yrs didn't have an attendence policy, and that was changed for them this yr. For us, it wasn't a big deal because that's all we knew. Now, the streaming policy has changed for us and we complain. You guys will be coming in with this policy in place and it won't be a big deal for you. Trust me 👍.

And just to prove that not all changes were a bad thing...the class of 2010 only had 1 exam for each system! We have at least 2 for each of ours. Personally, I can't imagine having to study all of the material for a system for only one make it or break it exam. Granted they had re-takes, but still...it's alot of stuff to soak in.

Anyways, enough rambling from me. Good night!

 

[cars321]

Just wondering why some of you guys chose to attend NYCOM? I am considering attending NYCOM. What other schools did you guys consider when making your decision? Also, the school is a lot more expensive compared to some other schools.

 

[Eudjinn]

Just wondering why some of you guys chose to attend NYCOM? I am considering attending NYCOM. What other schools did you guys consider when making your decision? Also, the school is a lot more expensive compared to some other schools.

the main attraction for me was the 3/4th year rotations and the hospital affiliations. being close to home is a big plus. i had a pleasant experience on my interview. everyone seemed nice and ready help. i went to UG at NYU in the city so the more suburban environment seemed like an interesting change. the school has a good reputation and a good name and is well established (since the 1970's). i was choosing between NYCOM and NSUCOM. Florida was tempting, but I want to practice here so I'd like to make my connections here.

I dug the facilities more or less (sans the library) and I have a few friends who are happy at NYCOM so it was a no brainer. I am on the high waitlist at TOURO-NY as well.

 

[cars321]

anyone else have comments/opinions about the recent issues at nycom with the lecture streaming or organization? just curious... dont want to start a debate..

 

[theserbatron]

i'm same with eudjinn... i wanted a school with strong clinical ties and NYCOM was one of the ones i felt suited that requirement better than other schools i got into. im from the west coast and wanted a change of scenery, and being around NYC i thought would be a good fit for me. i like that NYCOM is also a diverse school and offers students opportunities for research and dual-degree programs.

my take on the lecture/streaming issue is that c/o 2012 won't have to deal with the changes the current class is. we'll be used to going to class and not relying on the streaming alone if we miss lecture. i dont think our class will be as antagonistic towards the new policy because we won't have made habits of not going to class. just my take... take it for what its worth (not much, i haven't even started school yet)

 

[cars321]

I agree with the clinical ties being strong. However, to me, the cost of attendence is quite expensive. 41,000 the first year by the 4th year it is projected to be 50,000 approximately for the class of 2012. At the end what matters is an individuals grades, board scores right??? Rotations due matter but most schools have affiliations at large and small hospitals. However, there will be more affiliations with large hospitals in nyc area.

 

[gooseDO]

I got my DPC/immunization packet today. Anyone else?

 

[MrsMcDreamy]

I got my DPC/immunization packet today. Anyone else?

I did too 🙂 ....but it does say that we have to have it in a month from our deposit and it has definitely been over a month since I made mine. I guess that just means ASAP!

 

[gooseDO]

I did too 🙂 ....but it does say that we have to have it in a month from our deposit and it has definitely been over a month since I made mine. I guess that just means ASAP!

I gave in my deposit some time in early January so I guess I'm **** out of luck . Oh well I guess there's always next cycle 😉 Are you going to apply for DPC?

 

[MrsMcDreamy]

I gave in my deposit some time in early January so I guess I'm **** out of luck . Oh well I guess there's always next cycle 😉 Are you going to apply for DPC?

I interviewed with one of the leaders of the DPC so I discussed this in length. I really don't think so because it requires a lot of self motivation and organization. While I am not unorganized by any means, I need to learn things sequentially and preferably with an outline. The DPC pathway sounds awesome and learning the clinical thought process early on would be amazing, but I think I need a solid foundation in the basics. It would be nice not to have to go to class everyday though 🙄 (but I heard there is A LOT of reading for DPC).

 

[gooseDO]

I interviewed with one of the leaders of the DPC so I discussed this in length. I really don't think so because it requires a lot of self motivation and organization. While I am not unorganized by any means, I need to learn things sequentially and preferably with an outline. The DPC pathway sounds awesome and learning the clinical thought process early on would be amazing, but I think I need a solid foundation in the basics. It would be nice not to have to go to class everyday though 🙄 (but I heard there is A LOT of reading for DPC).

I feel the same...lecture-based all the way! The letter says that you have two weeks to transfer out/in of DPC once the fall semester starts, but doesn’t everybody (DPC and Lecture) start together for the first few months of classes? I wonder how they expect students to decide in such a short amount of time 😕

 

[gooseDO]

Does anyone know the status or have any additional info on the school's bid to have a joint DO/MPH? I read somewhere that it’s "pending" but I can't find anything else.