PCOM Biomedical Sciences 2018-2019
did you also get into lecoms program ??
hey let me know if you get into the philly campus... i have similar stats like yours minus the mcat
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same here....not too sure whats taking so long for a decision from erie. i submitted my app in november :/
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There is now a facebook group for the PCOM-GA campus for biomedical sciences titled
"PCOM-GA Biomedical Sciences 2018-2020".
to the post bac or the masters in erie?
okay maybe its just taking a while for them to get everything
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I don’t believe so
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Tons of people (I’m at the GA location)
i think pcom ga is a great school/campus but i want philly because my parents live in new york
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I believe they are for both campuses! Congrats on the PA campus!! Do you mind sharing your stats?
hey can you direct message me too... philly is the campus i want to be at
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Do not go here! As a current biomed at the GA campus who will be attending another DO program in the fall I can attest that this program is all about making money for PCOM. They don't care about you. They want you to fail and never ever set foot into their DO program. I did fairly well in the first semester and was offered a guaranteed interview to both campuses but its a joke, its nothing but a hold on your application till you pay them tuition. Instead of telling me straight up that they want me to finish their useless program and earn a meaningless piece of paper("Certificate") to enter the DO program they are keeping me in limbo and putting me on "hold" for spring grades. LOL. I believe I have the credentials to enter a DO program based on my merits from Undergrad(4 other interviews and 2 other acceptances) but they refuse to evaluate you based on your undergrad credentials and only want you to finish 1 if not both the years of the meaningless masters program to enter the DO program. The masters program is unorganized and taught extremely poorly and a fair amount of the class has failed out(more ways for PCOM to make money). It is unreasonably hard for a biomed program and maintaining a 3.0 without dropping a few courses is next to impossible. There are many other significantly better programs out there at both MD and DO schools(i.e. LECOM, LMU) which actually care about thier students and want them to succeed. PCOM has enough qualified applicants each cycle that they do everything in their power to fail out the biomed students and keep them from getting in to their program. Going for this program is a huge risk. It will not boost your gpa for other med schools, you can FAIL out and it will set you back years in your medical school pursuit.
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As a second year biomed I agree with the above, I declined my DO interview here while many of my classmates were offered interviews just to be placed on hold. The program could easily be much better if it offered things such as MCAT prep. However it does not. If your accepted at a school with added perks then go to that school. But with that being said, if PCOM-GA is your only post-bac/SMP acceptance then attend and know that you will have to study your ass off for Bs. I will say that the second year is definitely easier to make As/B+ but the first year will be difficult. Also, your second class to every program and no preference is given as a potential student to there DO program.
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Just got my acceptance letter to the Philly program! Stats were 3.13 GPA, 504 MCAT, still not sure if i'll be attending this though.
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why would you do another masters? You will murder it for sure, but waste 30k. If your MCAT is holding you back, might as well just spend months studying to bring it up.
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you will likely do well in the program. Anatomy and histology are done together I believe in 1 semester. Don't know about their conditional acceptance policy, but if its true then sounds pretty strong.
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As a current student at GA-Pcom in the biomed program I don’t think anyone can say that you will absolutely do great in the biomed program. The first year is tedious. You will have to work your butt off to make B’s. This is much more of a weed out program than a gpa boosting masters program that will help you get into medical school. It’s basically a program for PCOM to lure students like you to make money! DO NOT do the program. Based on your stats(mcat and gpa) you seem like you are a strong enough applicant to not be in the biomed program. I was in th exact same situation as you this year and thought the same thing. i.e that joining the program will help be get the conditional acceptance, well it doesn’t. I did well my first semester and they gave me a garunteed interview which is joke and nothing more than a hold on my application till I recieve my spring grades in June. They didn’t even bother to offer me the conditional acceptance. By June the DO class is full and I would need a miracle to get in and more than likely need to apply the next cycle if I want to go to pcom. They want you to finish both the years if you want to go to pcom. They will do everything to keep you in the biomed program and they refuse to evaluate you based on your undergrad credentials. I ended up quitting the program since I got 2 other DO acceptances. Also the Biomed program at GA is taught extremely poorly and almost half the class has dropped out. They want you to fail. Don’t make the mistake I did. Just get a job in healthcare and apply early and broadly to pcom as well as other DO programs! Don’t tie yourself with this program and add on more debt!
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it seems to be a new policy. I have friends that went to PCOM and did the biomed program. Before they had a guaranteed interview policy, now I guess they came up with this. I know people that got in after the first year, they were people who probably would have/should have gotten in without the program. They interviewed the biomed kids for waitlist spots essentially. Some got off the wait list. Others did not.
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Just so that I follow this, are you saying that the school tries to string you along so that you are forced to complete a second year and then have nothing to show for it when you’re done? Is this common only at the Suwanee campus or both? How large is the first year class at PCOM-GA (and Philly), and how many traditionally move on to med school after the first year? I’ve applied to both MS programs as well as LECOM and Nova.
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After 2 years, you get a masters. You will have something to show for it. I think what they are trying to say is that you don't automatically get into their medical school after a year or two. But the conditional acceptance is new so they may not have been around for that. Therefore, if you meet the criteria, you are in. I don't think they are forcing you to stay a second year but many students in this program do not have strong enough stats to get into med school the first time around. I can see why they would want to see 2 years worth of advanced classes. They want to see if you can handle the workload. I know some who have gone to med school after the first year (at GA and PA). It is not easy by any means. But tbh, if you thought any masters would be easy, you are only fooling yourself.
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Thanks- I didn’t express the right words. It’s not that you would come out of the program with nothing to show for it, but if the goal is to get accepted into PCOM, and you spent two years with the hope that you would have a much better chance of getting in (ideally during the first year), it seems like it’s a big (and expensive) gamble to do this program without having a reasonable shot at getting into their medical school.
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Your okay, if by May 1st you don’t hear anything call them. I’m sure there sending out letters soon as April approaches.
I was accepted in April but didn’t know until mid June when they asked for a deposit. My letter was lost in the mail, they only send snail mail.
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Got an interview at the school and as expected, have been waitlisted here. I hate this waiting game and so far I don’t think any biomeds have gotten in this cycle as of yet.
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I hope that waitlist turns into an acceptance. Did you apply to any other DO schools?
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I really hope so. If not the only thing I have to remedy is my MCAT. Unfortunately i haven’t had any interviews anywhere else except for this school.
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I'm a former GA-PCOM biomed currently in medical school, and straight up I would not have gotten in if it wasn't for this program. To answer a few questions that were posed: I think this program is for people who have issues with their undergrad GPA and are looking to raise it while gaining a degree rather than spending the same amount of money on a formal post-bac that you MIGHT get an acceptance from (you know the ones). You will be able to work with a Masters Degree in the event that you have multiple application cycles, like most applicants do. Getting the Masters and doing thesis track gives you exposure to research, which is something REQUIRED by many residencies, and it will definitely give you something to talk about on the residency interview trail. As for admission to the biomed program: I got into the program with a c3.02/s2.97 and a GRE score, so if you have those things you should be ok. My admitted stats for med school were 3.02 undergrad 3.7 Masters 508 MCAT + lewd amounts of volunteer and research hours + a publication. This program sealed the deal.
There are issues with the GA campus program. The main issue is with a group project based class your first term which is horribly organized and generates a lot of resentment among the students. However, what I learned in that class was the basis for my understanding of cardiology in medical school. I still hated the class, but I breezed through cardiac physiology because of it. That being said, the other classes are hard because that is what you should expect in a graduate science program, and I think a lot of students go into it thinking that the level of effort required stays at or below their generic undergrad effort. It doesn't. It's harder. Me and most of my friends did well in the program and matriculated to medical school. I actually did better in my first two courses of med school because I did this Masters program, but be aware that the entirety of courses that you take in this Masters program are taught in less than a month in medical school.
In regards to the PA program, every single biomed I know recommends it. There are some administrative issues at the PA campus as well, but that is because the programs are run by human professors who are overwhelmed by both the biomed program AND the DO program. I would say that is true for BOTH campuses. But if you approach any of the professors, they are extremely receptive to helping you understand.
Is there a conspiracy that they won't accept you until you finish two years? Yes. But every school that rejected me during the cycle I got in told me after the fact that they wanted to see my completed Masters degree before admitting me because my undergrad GPA was low. In some cases, that MS GPA would've overridden my undergrad GPA.
Is there a general air of discontent among GA campus students? Yes, primarily because they don't want to work hard because they feel as if this is their last 'hurdle' to why they 'deserve' to be in medical school (hence the referenced biomed drop out rates); plus, they're all rightfully irritated with the one professor from the one class that I mentioned. And they don't like studying in a warehouse. But that's atmospheric, and has no reflection on the quality of the DO program or the education that you get out of the Masters.
Now for a personal, very biased opinion: I personally didn't like the biomed program during my first year because of the warehouse atmosphere and that class I mentioned souring me. The general attitude of my classmates also made me negative about the program, and I think that would be changed solely if they took out this one course. My attitude changed the second year because I realized I was in control of what I got out of the program, and my level of effort determined my success (I had an EXCELLENT mentor who taught me this). That being said, I decided not to apply to the GA campus because atmosphere is something that is important to me, and I didn't want to go to school fifteen minutes down the road from where I grew up, so I cannot comment on the application process to the GA campus DO program. However, I was outright accepted at the PA campus, probably because of my success in this program.
You need to determine what is best for you.
TL;DR: I would not have gotten into medical school if it wasn't for this program. Every student who failed out of the Biomed program would not have made it in medical school. Period. So for all of you interested in this program: weigh the benefits of getting a Masters over retaking your undergrad courses (retaking courses WILL BE EASIER AND CHEAPER). Decide if you want to relocate for a Masters degree. Evaluate your ability to work at a graduate level. TALK TO YOUR PREMED ADVISOR ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU. Then, if you decide it is for you and you get in, put your head down and work. You determine what you get out of this program. Do not lower the quality of this program because you are lazy.
There are issues with the GA campus program. The main issue is with a group project based class your first term which is horribly organized and generates a lot of resentment among the students. However, what I learned in that class was the basis for my understanding of cardiology in medical school. I still hated the class, but I breezed through cardiac physiology because of it. That being said, the other classes are hard because that is what you should expect in a graduate science program, and I think a lot of students go into it thinking that the level of effort required stays at or below their generic undergrad effort. It doesn't. It's harder. Me and most of my friends did well in the program and matriculated to medical school. I actually did better in my first two courses of med school because I did this Masters program, but be aware that the entirety of courses that you take in this Masters program are taught in less than a month in medical school.
In regards to the PA program, every single biomed I know recommends it. There are some administrative issues at the PA campus as well, but that is because the programs are run by human professors who are overwhelmed by both the biomed program AND the DO program. I would say that is true for BOTH campuses. But if you approach any of the professors, they are extremely receptive to helping you understand.
Is there a conspiracy that they won't accept you until you finish two years? Yes. But every school that rejected me during the cycle I got in told me after the fact that they wanted to see my completed Masters degree before admitting me because my undergrad GPA was low. In some cases, that MS GPA would've overridden my undergrad GPA.
Is there a general air of discontent among GA campus students? Yes, primarily because they don't want to work hard because they feel as if this is their last 'hurdle' to why they 'deserve' to be in medical school (hence the referenced biomed drop out rates); plus, they're all rightfully irritated with the one professor from the one class that I mentioned. And they don't like studying in a warehouse. But that's atmospheric, and has no reflection on the quality of the DO program or the education that you get out of the Masters.
Now for a personal, very biased opinion: I personally didn't like the biomed program during my first year because of the warehouse atmosphere and that class I mentioned souring me. The general attitude of my classmates also made me negative about the program, and I think that would be changed solely if they took out this one course. My attitude changed the second year because I realized I was in control of what I got out of the program, and my level of effort determined my success (I had an EXCELLENT mentor who taught me this). That being said, I decided not to apply to the GA campus because atmosphere is something that is important to me, and I didn't want to go to school fifteen minutes down the road from where I grew up, so I cannot comment on the application process to the GA campus DO program. However, I was outright accepted at the PA campus, probably because of my success in this program.
You need to determine what is best for you.
TL;DR: I would not have gotten into medical school if it wasn't for this program. Every student who failed out of the Biomed program would not have made it in medical school. Period. So for all of you interested in this program: weigh the benefits of getting a Masters over retaking your undergrad courses (retaking courses WILL BE EASIER AND CHEAPER). Decide if you want to relocate for a Masters degree. Evaluate your ability to work at a graduate level. TALK TO YOUR PREMED ADVISOR ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU. Then, if you decide it is for you and you get in, put your head down and work. You determine what you get out of this program. Do not lower the quality of this program because you are lazy.
Hello,
I was recently accepted into Biomedical program at PCOM-GA campus but I am also accepted at a different university for MPH program to begin fall 2018. So, reading these comments I am not sure if I should drop my plan to study MPH to go with the biomedical program just because of the reviews that I am seeing which is making my decision even harder to make.
Just to give a little background on my academic stats: currently studying to retake MCAT because previous score was not even close to the 20th percentile but my undergrad GPA was decent 3.4 so reading all of this, I am not sure if I want to spend this much of money on this program with the conspiracy around DO acceptance/interview/completing 2 years of masters and the risk of not even getting in through the conditional acceptance or guaranteed interview so please give any advise that will appreciated especially if you are current PCOM biomed students or those starting this fall if you are deciding to go and why OR if your not going into this program and why?
Thank You
I was recently accepted into Biomedical program at PCOM-GA campus but I am also accepted at a different university for MPH program to begin fall 2018. So, reading these comments I am not sure if I should drop my plan to study MPH to go with the biomedical program just because of the reviews that I am seeing which is making my decision even harder to make.
Just to give a little background on my academic stats: currently studying to retake MCAT because previous score was not even close to the 20th percentile but my undergrad GPA was decent 3.4 so reading all of this, I am not sure if I want to spend this much of money on this program with the conspiracy around DO acceptance/interview/completing 2 years of masters and the risk of not even getting in through the conditional acceptance or guaranteed interview so please give any advise that will appreciated especially if you are current PCOM biomed students or those starting this fall if you are deciding to go and why OR if your not going into this program and why?
Thank You
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An MPH won’t help with your science GPA so going to PCOM would give you more leverage. All in all if PCOM is the only SMP you were accepted to then go, if you were accepted elsewhere with a MCAT prep option chose elsewhere.
But honestly you really need help with your MCAT, the program indirectly does that due to how you have to study and approach the course. But you won’t have any time to study for the MCAT I had to balance my MCAT prep and courses which are demanding.
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But everything paid off in the end. Congrats on your acceptance!
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Did you take the MCAT after completing the masters program? If so, did it help in honing the critical skills needed to do well?
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I took the MCAT August of the year I was admitted to the MS program, because I was planning on applying to med school that Fall, so I can't offer evidence as to whether or not the program helps with the MCAT.
I personally think that the MCAT is just a test you have to study for, though. Any review class could give you the information you need, but you need spaced practice tests to build your stamina (I took four). As for MCAT review courses - I think EK is hit or miss with their instructors. I personally didn't find EK to be worth the money, and the amount of time I spent in their lectures would have been better spent independently studying with their books and doing practice questions (though I took the new MCAT in the first year it was out, so the practice materials were probably much worse than they are now, and all of the MCAT instructors in that course took the old MCAT). Sorry I can't be of much help with that, other than to say to buy a set of review books and practice practice practice.
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Yeah I suppose it is. I think the mcat favors those who do well on standardized testing.
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I completed the first year biomedical sciences program at PCOM Philadelphia campus and came out with a very positive experience. I will be matriculating into PCOM's DO program this fall and biomed played a very significant role to get me there.
Going through this program was incredibly tough...this shouldn't be understated. I've been told that our first year biomed courses cover 60% of what the first year DOs study. Loads of PCOM DO students who were once biomeds strongly attest to that and have said repeatedly how much of a leg up it's given them. Many of the lectures are the same and they've been through the steep learning curve to know what study habits work best for them. Not only that, but many of their non-biomed peers have noticed as well. I remember overhearing a current 2nd year talk about how proud he was of his B on one of their exams, only to find out that many of his classmates who did biomed aced that exam. This is quite common, especially in the first year of medical school. If you're accepted to PCOM's DO program from our biomed program, it means admissions think you're good enough to excel in medical school.
The academic struggle through this program felt like boot camp; it really pushed me to my limits. Other than the occasional professor who notices, NO ONE is going to call you out individually and hold your hand. Because of that, students who struggle and don't reach out tend to feel deep, strong resentment towards the program, knowing full well that doing poorly in the biomed program will make them look worse to med school admissions than if they had not joined the program to begin with. That being said, PCOM's resources ARE there. Student Life sends out emails all the time to make sure students are aware of the support available for them if they need mental or academic support. A tiny relaxation room filled with aromatherapy, free tea, a massage chair, yoga mat, etc was just started last year because they WANT to help students. We also have 30 minute Meditation and Mindlessness sessions open to anyone every Monday. Fitness classes every week. You name it.
Academic support: I've been graciously helped by career services a lot, from the time I was struggling so badly with academics that I almost changed career paths...all the way to interview prep for our DO program months later! During that time of academic struggles, I distinctly remember also meeting frequently with our Biomed program director, Dr. Bell, who was always willing to drop anything he was doing if you needed to speak with him. He was very empathic, encouraging, and always helped me brainstorm new strategies I could take to do better. In addition to career services and our program director, most professors are very responsive to emails and sincerely want to help students. For instance, Dr. Montie really enjoys advising students and is always willing to reach out to other faculty for you, if you ever need that extra push (cough like with Dr. Bell & our committee letters cough). Dr. Greene gets adorably happy when you have a lightbulb moment meeting with her one-on-one to over her lectures. Dr. Young loves to call us "my friends!" and yips real loud when most of us get the practice question correct through our clickers. Furthermore, for those pursuing medical school, us biomeds have the fortunate opportunity of speaking with Marsha Williams, who plays a huge part in our DO admissions committee. With at least 13 years of that position under her belt, she offers invaluable advice and guidance on your profile, timeline, and ultimately your chances. She doesn't beat around the bush and tells it like it is, so for some, it's the brutal hard truth while for others it's very positive validation that you're on the right track. Finally, with student loans piling up, who wants to spend more money on textbooks or online resources? But sometimes, they are the biggest help to do well and actually get the material. Therefore, our library spends thousands of dollars to make sure we have up-to-date study resources from NetAnatomy to the latest ebook right off your class textbook list.
Extracurriculars: PCOM has loads of clubs that welcome biomeds to join! They hold activities very often and Student Life sends out a weekly email to let everyone know. Many of the clubs are geared towards the medical students, but they always open the events to us such as their journal club, speaker sessions (free food!), volunteer events, etc. In addition, there's the occasional school-wide event that's fun for everyone, such as male faculty vs female students basketball game or our dodgeball tournament.
Social: I absolutely love Philadelphia. Check out VisitPhilly.com or uwishunu.com for events happening all over the city! There's something for everyone.
Philly's weather can be brutal though. (On the one hand, Californians don't seem too comfortable with it. On the other, those from Chicago feel like it's summer here all year round.) Finally, the med students and biomeds always host Post Exam Parties (PEPs)!
What I got out of this program: Did way better on my MCAT retake that summer after first year. Studying long hours for biomed translated very well to studying for long hours with the MCAT. It helped that a number of our courses were directly applicable, such as MBM for biochem & neuro for psych. Got a committee letter from our program, interview prep where a couple of the exact questions turned up in my real thing, and ultimately, made it into medical school!
But to make the most of this program, you have to take the initiative. PCOM has tons of resources from research to academic support to campus life and they'll let you know about it, but rarely will you find anyone personally reaching out to you to see how you're doing. Because, unfortunately, that's the way things are here. We don't have advisors specifically assigned to us (sometimes I wish we did). That can be really tough for a lot of people, and these people end up feeling that the school is cold. However, in my personal experience, that's really not the case. Everyone's genuinely nice here, including upperclassmen, program director, professors, counselor, all the way up to the school president. But you have to reach out. For many, this may be a deal-breaker.
Most premeds of the Biomed Class of 2018 have been accepted into medical school. Around 20 have been accepted this year (most have decided to matriculate into PCOM's DO program), a handful are still on hold, and a couple have been rejected. At the very least, 10 were accepted during our first year. This is all based on word of mouth. If you are curious, Dr. Bell includes the exact numbers in his biomed presentation every open house.
In summary, I've had an overall positive experience at PCOM's Biomedical Sciences program in Philadelphia. There were definitely hard times where I questioned my ability often or felt lonely because of my struggles; however, whenever I reached out, without fail PCOM was there to lift me up. I do not think I could have made it into medical school without this program. It was the push I needed to demonstrate to medical school admissions and myself that I am capable of doing well in medical school to become the doctor I've wanted to be for so long. But you will feel left out here if you don't actively reach out. It's all about stepping beyond your comfort zone to advocate for your needs. Do so, and the resources are there for you to excel and have a great time.
Going through this program was incredibly tough...this shouldn't be understated. I've been told that our first year biomed courses cover 60% of what the first year DOs study. Loads of PCOM DO students who were once biomeds strongly attest to that and have said repeatedly how much of a leg up it's given them. Many of the lectures are the same and they've been through the steep learning curve to know what study habits work best for them. Not only that, but many of their non-biomed peers have noticed as well. I remember overhearing a current 2nd year talk about how proud he was of his B on one of their exams, only to find out that many of his classmates who did biomed aced that exam. This is quite common, especially in the first year of medical school. If you're accepted to PCOM's DO program from our biomed program, it means admissions think you're good enough to excel in medical school.
The academic struggle through this program felt like boot camp; it really pushed me to my limits. Other than the occasional professor who notices, NO ONE is going to call you out individually and hold your hand. Because of that, students who struggle and don't reach out tend to feel deep, strong resentment towards the program, knowing full well that doing poorly in the biomed program will make them look worse to med school admissions than if they had not joined the program to begin with. That being said, PCOM's resources ARE there. Student Life sends out emails all the time to make sure students are aware of the support available for them if they need mental or academic support. A tiny relaxation room filled with aromatherapy, free tea, a massage chair, yoga mat, etc was just started last year because they WANT to help students. We also have 30 minute Meditation and Mindlessness sessions open to anyone every Monday. Fitness classes every week. You name it.
Academic support: I've been graciously helped by career services a lot, from the time I was struggling so badly with academics that I almost changed career paths...all the way to interview prep for our DO program months later! During that time of academic struggles, I distinctly remember also meeting frequently with our Biomed program director, Dr. Bell, who was always willing to drop anything he was doing if you needed to speak with him. He was very empathic, encouraging, and always helped me brainstorm new strategies I could take to do better. In addition to career services and our program director, most professors are very responsive to emails and sincerely want to help students. For instance, Dr. Montie really enjoys advising students and is always willing to reach out to other faculty for you, if you ever need that extra push (cough like with Dr. Bell & our committee letters cough). Dr. Greene gets adorably happy when you have a lightbulb moment meeting with her one-on-one to over her lectures. Dr. Young loves to call us "my friends!" and yips real loud when most of us get the practice question correct through our clickers. Furthermore, for those pursuing medical school, us biomeds have the fortunate opportunity of speaking with Marsha Williams, who plays a huge part in our DO admissions committee. With at least 13 years of that position under her belt, she offers invaluable advice and guidance on your profile, timeline, and ultimately your chances. She doesn't beat around the bush and tells it like it is, so for some, it's the brutal hard truth while for others it's very positive validation that you're on the right track. Finally, with student loans piling up, who wants to spend more money on textbooks or online resources? But sometimes, they are the biggest help to do well and actually get the material. Therefore, our library spends thousands of dollars to make sure we have up-to-date study resources from NetAnatomy to the latest ebook right off your class textbook list.
Extracurriculars: PCOM has loads of clubs that welcome biomeds to join! They hold activities very often and Student Life sends out a weekly email to let everyone know. Many of the clubs are geared towards the medical students, but they always open the events to us such as their journal club, speaker sessions (free food!), volunteer events, etc. In addition, there's the occasional school-wide event that's fun for everyone, such as male faculty vs female students basketball game or our dodgeball tournament.
Social: I absolutely love Philadelphia. Check out VisitPhilly.com or uwishunu.com for events happening all over the city! There's something for everyone.
Philly's weather can be brutal though. (On the one hand, Californians don't seem too comfortable with it. On the other, those from Chicago feel like it's summer here all year round.) Finally, the med students and biomeds always host Post Exam Parties (PEPs)!
What I got out of this program: Did way better on my MCAT retake that summer after first year. Studying long hours for biomed translated very well to studying for long hours with the MCAT. It helped that a number of our courses were directly applicable, such as MBM for biochem & neuro for psych. Got a committee letter from our program, interview prep where a couple of the exact questions turned up in my real thing, and ultimately, made it into medical school!
But to make the most of this program, you have to take the initiative. PCOM has tons of resources from research to academic support to campus life and they'll let you know about it, but rarely will you find anyone personally reaching out to you to see how you're doing. Because, unfortunately, that's the way things are here. We don't have advisors specifically assigned to us (sometimes I wish we did). That can be really tough for a lot of people, and these people end up feeling that the school is cold. However, in my personal experience, that's really not the case. Everyone's genuinely nice here, including upperclassmen, program director, professors, counselor, all the way up to the school president. But you have to reach out. For many, this may be a deal-breaker.
Most premeds of the Biomed Class of 2018 have been accepted into medical school. Around 20 have been accepted this year (most have decided to matriculate into PCOM's DO program), a handful are still on hold, and a couple have been rejected. At the very least, 10 were accepted during our first year. This is all based on word of mouth. If you are curious, Dr. Bell includes the exact numbers in his biomed presentation every open house.
In summary, I've had an overall positive experience at PCOM's Biomedical Sciences program in Philadelphia. There were definitely hard times where I questioned my ability often or felt lonely because of my struggles; however, whenever I reached out, without fail PCOM was there to lift me up. I do not think I could have made it into medical school without this program. It was the push I needed to demonstrate to medical school admissions and myself that I am capable of doing well in medical school to become the doctor I've wanted to be for so long. But you will feel left out here if you don't actively reach out. It's all about stepping beyond your comfort zone to advocate for your needs. Do so, and the resources are there for you to excel and have a great time.
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How do I tackle the MCAT? I feel like that’s the main obstacle to overcome if I should get some corrrepsondence from the more reputable DO schools out there. I’m afraid if I take it again that I would do worse and essentially destroy my chances at a good one anyways.
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Some of the good schools out there put so much emphasis on the MCAT score and not so much on the graduate GPA. The GPA in a biomed program should extinguish any doubts of lackluster performance in med school otherwise. What if that person doesn’t do well on standardized testing? There are many examples of students doing very well on the USMLE when they did poorly on the MCAT. I would argue that the MCAT tests knowledge that has little applicability to medical school courses anyways. I’m not trying to sound bias but if I do decide on retaking it and somehow did well, I would still argue against saying it’s a good indicator of med school performance. It’s total bull and the statistics don’t lie.
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Med school success is a function of hard work, determination, perseverance, and all the other adjectives out there that fits the description “ good work ethic.” Rant over.
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I find the MCAT unnecessary but people on this site might find me a bitter applicant by blaming the validity of the test instead of blaming my lack of competence as a student physician.
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That’s for them to speculate but I know my abilities.
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Apparently all the seats have been filled and I’m assuming they gave me the “silent rejection.” I’ll have to look forward to the next cycle. Good luck everyone and I hope you guys eventually get in to MD/DO school someday. 
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