NYCOM Discussion Thread 2009-2010

[Bones DO]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm sorry to be saying this, but it sounds to me like you're blaming the school for something that was essentially your own fault. The truth is, medical school is difficult. It is VERY difficult. And not everyone can handle its rigors. Yes, NYCOM has a very strict policy, but who came here expecting it was going to be easy? I don't think it's right that you're prancing around and badmouthing the school that accepted you and gave you the chance to become a doctor, more or less scaring off other potential applicants from applying or even attending.

So you had a problem with anatomy, and that's very understandable. But we entered with 313 in our class. What about the other close-to-300 students who passed anatomy and did just fine? Did they watch autopies prior to med school? Did they all take A&P beforehand? Were they all 'acclimated' to cadavers? No. We knew what we were going into when we accepted the offer of admission. Whether it's a cadaver at NYCOM or a cadaver at any other DO school, it's all the same: a cadaver. NYCOM didn't fail you. You failed you.

I'm sorry that this happened to you, and I think that your entire endeavor to get back into med school is very admirable. I wish you luck and hope that you will get what you wanted in the end. Just don't start blaming a school for following its policy. And don't start blaming it for your own misfortune. Not everyone passes.

Don't get me wrong, NYCOM has a lot of kinks. I'm not having the time of my life here either, and I wasn't expecting to. But NYCOM has made a name for itself, and it has obviously been doing something right in the past. Picking a school for an easier failure policy isn't exactly the right mindset to begin school with, don't you think?

I think the two main points that I was trying to make were:

1. Try to prep yourself for cadaver anatomy because no one knows how they'll react to it, whether it be via autopsies, coursework, whatever as anatomy is a massively important subject.

2. It is easier to get the boot at NYCOM than at most other US medical schools. After only two systems (recall you must fail two systems to be dismissed) it sounds like your class has already discarded 15 or so students. After putting so much into getting in on the students part, and so much effort being invested in selecting you on the school's part - it just doesn't make sense to me that you wouldn't get a chance to redeem yourself/ I understand that if a student keeps failing the same classes multiple times or repeats a year and still has issues, but don't people deserve a second chance under these circumstances? ALL other medical schools I have had contact with handle this situation a different way...
By the way, lets recognize that this after just the FIRST TWO systems, with neuro (widely considered to be harder than the first two) on the horizon. They're already almost at 5% attrition ... I would REALLY like to get my hands on some actual stats on this, how many are kicked out and how many are transferred in to mask it.

Let me end this post by just saying, I blame myself for everything. First for not preparing myself adequately and second for not researching schools' policies beforehand. What happened to me is ENTIRELY and in every way my own fault. I am not trying to badmouth the school as far as academics, because the professors really are great and care, but the sad fact is they are powerless when it comes to this. My purpose here is to just let people know what they're getting into. When I relate this story to interviewers at other schools they find it extremely hard to believe. I was outright called a liar to my face a couple of times and I have to refer them to the handbook to verify what I'm saying (this was followed by perfuse apologies). The wide perception is that it's VERY hard to fail out of medical school. This is because in general, it is. There are a few schools where it is markedly easier to be removed. NYCOM is one of them and you should know that going in.

 

[Eudjinn]

I think the two main points that I was trying to make were:

1. Try to prep yourself for cadaver anatomy because no one knows how they'll react to it, whether it be via autopsies, coursework, whatever as anatomy is a massively important subject.

2. It is easier to get the boot at NYCOM than at most other US medical schools. After only two systems (recall you must fail two systems to be dismissed) it sounds like your class has already discarded 15 or so students. After putting so much into getting in on the students part, and so much effort being invested in selecting you on the school's part - it just doesn't make sense to me that you wouldn't get a chance to redeem yourself/ I understand that if a student keeps failing the same classes multiple times or repeats a year and still has issues, but don't people deserve a second chance under these circumstances? ALL other medical schools I have had contact with handle this situation a different way...
By the way, lets recognize that this after just the FIRST TWO systems, with neuro (widely considered to be harder than the first two) on the horizon. They're already almost at 5% attrition ... I would REALLY like to get my hands on some actual stats on this, how many are kicked out and how many are transferred in to mask it.

Let me end this post by just saying, I blame myself for everything. First for not preparing myself adequately and second for not researching schools' policies beforehand. What happened to me is ENTIRELY and in every way my own fault. I am not trying to badmouth the school as far as academics, because the professors really are great and care, but the sad fact is they are powerless when it comes to this. My purpose here is to just let people know what they're getting into. When I relate this story to interviewers at other schools they find it extremely hard to believe. I was outright called a liar to my face a couple of times and I have to refer them to the handbook to verify what I'm saying (this was followed by perfuse apologies). The wide perception is that it's VERY hard to fail out of medical school. This is because in general, it is. There are a few schools where it is markedly easier to be removed. NYCOM is one of them and you should know that going in.

Bones, you seem like a legit person. I'm not going to sit here and argue with you over anything because you obviously understand what happened and take responsibility for it--and for that I commend you, as well as the fact that you are not giving up and trying to get another admission. I do feel bad for your situation and I do wish you the best of luck in the future.

I would like to address one thing that you said (I bolded it) though. Your chance to redeem yourself is the second system after you fail the first. I don't agree that you, or anyone else for that matter that has been dismissed, were not given a second chance. The thought process behind the policy is: fail one system--ok we get it, **** happens, but you better work fast and hard at fixing what went wrong for the next system. Fail two systems: you are, at this point in time, not capable of either identifying or successfully correcting the problems that made you fail the first system in the first place and you are just not ready for a medical school curriculum.


"If a student keeps failing the same classes multiple times or repeats a year and still has issues" -- now we're just getting into third, fourth and fifth chances to redeem oneself, aren't we? You were given a second chance, but unfortunately you were unable to capitalize on it.

I agree with you that everyone should be aware of their schools dismissal policy, but I can't agree that NYCOM's policy is something that is so unreasonably strict considering the level of education that this is.

Best of luck to you and I truly do hope you get accepted and knock the curriculum out of the park this time around.

 

[Bones DO]

Bones, you seem like a legit person. I'm not going to sit here and argue with you over anything because you obviously understand what happened and take responsibility for it--and for that I commend you, as well as the fact that you are not giving up and trying to get another admission. I do feel bad for your situation and I do wish you the best of luck in the future.

I would like to address one thing that you said (I bolded it) though. Your chance to redeem yourself is the second system after you fail the first. I don't agree that you, or anyone else for that matter that has been dismissed, were not given a second chance. The thought process behind the policy is: fail one system--ok we get it, **** happens, but you better work fast and hard at fixing what went wrong for the next system. Fail two systems: you are, at this point in time, not capable of either identifying or successfully correcting the problems that made you fail the first system in the first place and you are just not ready for a medical school curriculum.


"If a student keeps failing the same classes multiple times or repeats a year and still has issues" -- now we're just getting into third, fourth and fifth chances to redeem oneself, aren't we? You were given a second chance, but unfortunately you were unable to capitalize on it.

I agree with you that everyone should be aware of their schools dismissal policy, but I can't agree that NYCOM's policy is something that is so unreasonably strict considering the level of education that this is.

Best of luck to you and I truly do hope you get accepted and knock the curriculum out of the park this time around.

I disagree with myself in that wording, what I meant was failing a course more than once. I disagree that the second system is a second chance, since it's not a retake of the first system and the systems build on each other (esp the first two), but I get what you're saying. From my perspective, and I guess my situation specifically, taking a year to lay foundation in anatomy is really what I needed. But thats the nature of the beast, each case should be examined on an individual basis.

The simple fact that NYCOM is one of the only schools that handles floundering students simply by kicking them out makes it at least uncharacteristically, if not also, unreasonably strict. Most schools allow you to remediate up to 2 classes, and repeat a year if needed.

IMHO, who cares how long it takes you to learn, as long as you eventually get it all and do well on the boards, isn't that all that matters? Thanks for your well-wishes 🙂

 

[blah354]

hey has anyone received anything news today? gahhhhh!

 

[Eilat87]

no... still waiting..

 

[CardioPlus]

It's killin me... My Nova deposit is due next Monday, would rather not flush a $950 deposit down the toilet, as PCOM and NYCOM are my top 2 choices. Just need to hear from ONE of them by Monday. My luck will be that I get the letter Tuesday. lol

 

[charm4eva]

It's killin me... My Nova deposit is due next Monday, would rather not flush a $950 deposit down the toilet, as PCOM and NYCOM are my top 2 choices. Just need to hear from ONE of them by Monday. My luck will be that I get the letter Tuesday. lol

Can't you call the school(s) up and explain your situation? Someone did and said they got someone not very nice, but I read from last year's thread that some people actually called and got an answer over the phone. I think it all depends on luck whether you get a helpful person or not but at least it's worth a try?

 

[jbru3423]

It's killin me... My Nova deposit is due next Monday, would rather not flush a $950 deposit down the toilet, as PCOM and NYCOM are my top 2 choices. Just need to hear from ONE of them by Monday. My luck will be that I get the letter Tuesday. lol

I am in the exact same position as you with NOVA as well. I liked NOVA too, but at this point I prefer NYCOM slightly. I really do not want to have to drop 1k at NOVA to hear from NYCOM the next day. I am going to call on tomorrow or friday to see if I can speak to someone about this situation. I interviewed on 11/10, so I would think that my decision would be in the first bunch to be mailed out.

 

[NYPattt]

GUYS!!! NYCOM ACCEPTED ME!

I called NYCOM because I am in the same situation like some of you guys, I have a deposit due at a school soon but I perfer NYCOM. I told them and the secretary was very nice and said decisions have been made and sent out. I was able to get my acceptance over the phone!

😀😀😀😀

 

[charm4eva]

GUYS!!! NYCOM ACCEPTED ME!

I called NYCOM because I am in the same situation like some of you guys, I have a deposit due at a school soon but I perfer NYCOM. I told them and the secretary was very nice and said decisions have been made and sent out. I was able to get my acceptance over the phone!

😀😀😀😀

Yay congrats!!!!!! First known acceptance! Now let's hope that we all hear back soon =) When did you intervew with NYCOM?

 

[blah354]

NYPattt--who did you reach and at what number?....i just called and a woman said i'd have to wait until my letter came.
gahhh!

 

[jbru3423]

Called today and talked to secretary regarding my situation. She was very helpful when I explained my situation regarding my preference for NYCOM and other deposits due at other schools early next week. I received my decision and was ACCEPTED...

Very excited to hear the good news.

 

[thethethe]

do you know if they did already or when they'll mail out the letters?

 

[blah354]

for those who called and got an answer---who did you talk to and at what number?
i called the number that i called to schedule an interview and the woman was ...not helpful.

 

[jbru3423]

With regards to the two previous questions:

1. Have the letters been mailed out - Yes; however, I am assuming only for the first bunch of applicants. I don't know cut-offs in terms of dates, but yes, decisions have been mailed out.

2. The number I called was 1-516-686-3747

Best of luck

 

[Eilat87]

called the above number, got a lady on the phone who took down my name addreess social security, then congratulated me on my acceptance! i interviewed on the 11th of november..

 

[blah354]

congrats everyone! i called and they said that no decision has been made. i'm really really hoping that that's really the case. i interviewed on nov 12. did anyone who interviewed on the 12th hear back?

 

[free0485]

I got the same response. "My file has been reviewed, but a decision has not been made yet." And I was one of the first interview groups! I imagine it isnt necessarily bad (aka not a straight up rejection) but it certainly made me nervous.

 

[thethethe]

interviewed 11/14

ACCCEPTED!

 

[raddognl]

Just called and got the acceptance. Thank for the heads up everyone.

 

[Hoya08]

Hey! I was wondering if anyone who interviewed on the 19th or during that week had heard anything? Thanks 🙂

 

[bagger123]

anyone interview in december and get their acceptances yet via mail or calling up?

 

[premedmind]

I called and was told they do not give decisions (acceptances/rejections) over the phone.

Who did you guys speak with?

 

[raddognl]

I called the number posted by jbru3423 (1-516-686-3747), they had no problem telling me the decision over the phone... sorry but i didn't catch the name of the person I was speaking to.

 

[CardioPlus]

Just called also, they took down my name and SS#, and had no problems telling me. Accepted!! Woot!! So pumped! haha. Congrats to everyone else that found out!!!!

 

[Hoya08]

For the people who have gotten their decisions, when did you interview? Thanks! 🙂

 

[Wychillis]

Hoya, I interviewed on 11/17 in the afternoon and I haven't heard anything yet.

 

[deleted212936]

Interviewed on 12/03.
Called and was told to wait 4-6 weeks.

 

[CardioPlus]

I had interviewed November 11th. Also when I called, they said the decision was also put in the mail, so hopefully everyone else will hear soon too 🙂

 

[bagger123]

I interviewed Dec 2nd and I called today. The lady on the phone must've realized that I was nervous because all I said was that I had interviewed on Dec 2nd and before I could even ask her if they had made decisions yet, she asked my name and told me over the phone that I was accepted!
Very nice lady.

 

[blah354]

someone who interviewed in dec just got a decision, if i interviewed before on nov 12 and havent' gotten a decision...does that mean it's bad news for me?

 

[bagger123]

Well at least for Dec 2nd, we were told during our interviews that we were the last interview slot that would be considered for the first batch of application. They said letters are going out monday, so I would give them a call if at all possible

 

[deleted212936]

It makes me nervous. Dec 2nd interviewees have gotten their decisions.
I was interviewed on Dec 3rd. I called and was told to wait 4-6 weeks.
Is it true that NYCOM accepts 96% of interviewees?

 

[blah354]

haha i keep hearing the 96% acceptance rate....they told me to call back monday and i interviewed on 11/12...ahahah i hope im not one of the 4%. (anyone hear bad news? 🙁 )

but congrats to everyone who got in already...nycom is a great school!

 

[xoxkiska]

I interviewed Dec 1st and I just called in and the nice lady told me that I'm accepted. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

 

[egecc]

i interviewed on dec. 1st and when i called today, the woman asked my name and then said i'm sorry, there's been no decision made yet. my guess is this means waitlist or rejection. combing through last year's thread, other ppl who got the same response when they called were waitlisted. i doubt the secretary would actually tell someone over the phone they were rejected. 🙁

 

[Hoya08]

totally bummed out - just called them and they said no decision made 🙁

 

[Vee]

NYCOM traditionally is one of those schools that won't ever tell you that you're rejected. You're either waitlisted or accepted...the rejectees are kept in silent limbo (at least that's how they've done things for the past few years). On the other hand, they're changing how they handle secondaries so who knows what else is changing.

One of you accepted people should start a NYCOM Class of 2014 thread in the Osteopathic Classes forum. 😉

 

[blah354]

when they told me no decision was made, i asked when would be an appropriate time to call back and she said on Monday a decision could be ready....maybe there's hope?

 

[Eudjinn]

to everyone who has been told there is no decision made:

do not take this negatively. think of it this way, why would they lie to you? if you were waitlisted or rejected (which I've never even heard of happening post-interview), they could easily say that a decision was made and you will hear soon via mail... why go the extra length to lie to you?

in reality, probably no decision was made yet. there is no way to know if they are going in any particular order to be quite honest.

my point is: do not lose hope!

 

[USB Stick]

Reading posts from the c/o 2011, 2012 and 2013 threads has made me extremely nervous about getting accepted into NYCOM. I have a 2.99 cgpa, a 3.69 sgpa and 25 MCAT and it seems like I'm doomed to be waitlisted when compared to the stats of other applicants in this/previous years. NYCOM is my top choice especially with the # of hospital affliation and not to mention that I live about 20 minutes away from the school!

#1, Numero Uno etc etc.

Do you guys think I have a good shot at getting in? I have an interview coming up in Feb. Thanks!

 

[premedmind]

Has anyone gotten a decision over snail-mail, or any other type of proof, besides calling up and asking, that they have been accepted?

 

[CardioPlus]

Has anyone gotten a decision over snail-mail, or any other type of proof, besides calling up and asking, that they have been accepted?

Not yet (for me anyways)

 

[Eudjinn]

Reading posts from the c/o 2011, 2012 and 2013 threads has made me extremely nervous about getting accepted into NYCOM. I have a 2.99 cgpa, a 3.69 sgpa and 25 MCAT and it seems like I'm doomed to be waitlisted when compared to the stats of other applicants in this/previous years. NYCOM is my top choice especially with the # of hospital affliation and not to mention that I live about 20 minutes away from the school!

#1, Numero Uno etc etc.

Do you guys think I have a good shot at getting in? I have an interview coming up in Feb. Thanks!

considering you already have an interview, I would say you have a very good shot of getting in... nycom acceptance post-interview is quite high.

nail the interview and hope for acceptance as opposed to that dreaded waitlist. gluck

 

[xoxkiska]

hey guys, join the class of 2014 facebook group!!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=224246446018&ref=ts

 

[thethethe]

nycom is honors pass fail right?

 

[Vee]

Yes.

 

[Eudjinn]

nycom is honors pass fail right?

officially yes, but you do get number grades... it's kind of annoying when a 90 and a 70 are both P, but pre-clinical grades really don't weigh in for residency anyway so it doesn't matter.

 

[chaoechidna]

Hi everyone!
I made a mistake... I skipped the essay when going through the secondary (I wasn't ready to write it, but wanted to get all my basic info in) and now the application won't let me go back to it - there's no back button! Is this just a mac thing or can you really not go back to a section once you've finished? What should I do??

Hey there, all you need to do is keep continuing on until you hit the Review column of the page. At that point, there is a button near the bottom that says "Edit." You can click that and it'll take you back to the start where you can do whatever you'd like. I've tested it, and it works. I was worried originally too, it just seems like it's bad design since this was only implemented a month ago. I'm pretty disappointed that they did this mid-season..

 

[francais7979]

how long does it take to receive an interview after your file is complete?