PCOM Discussion thread 2007-2008

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
aaw2107 said:
Yeah, I have two acceptances...but I want PCOM!!!
Click to expand...


I didn't want to bring this up, as I'm really bitter now. I got straight up rejected from PCOM, no waitlist, no nothing. It was my top choice school, but now they're basically dead to me. Anyhow.....they asked me in my interview if I had been accepted to any other programs and told them that I had (3 acceptances). There is no reason to believe that they would think or look down on that would they? I'm kind of through picking apart the interview, my app, etc. I thought everything went well, but apparently not so, and I'm ok with it, but just curious, and maybe some helpful advice for others interviewing....congrats to those accepted, I'm jealous.

my stats:
3.2/3.4sciGPA/3.7 post bacc science GPA, 28P MCAT
great EC's. Lots of DO shadowing
bench and clinical research
2 PCOM DO letters....

me being rejected really came to me as a shock, i felt like I had a great shot there, but it really shows the randomness of applications i guess.
Members don't see this ad.
 
spazzz said:
I didn't want to bring this up, as I'm really bitter now. I got straight up rejected from PCOM, no waitlist, no nothing. It was my top choice school, but now they're basically dead to me. Anyhow.....they asked me in my interview if I had been accepted to any other programs and told them that I had (3 acceptances). There is no reason to believe that they would think or look down on that would they? I'm kind of through picking apart the interview, my app, etc. I thought everything went well, but apparently not so, and I'm ok with it, but just curious, and maybe some helpful advice for others interviewing....congrats to those accepted, I'm jealous.

my stats:
3.2/3.4sciGPA/3.7 post bacc science GPA, 28P MCAT
great EC's. Lots of DO shadowing
bench and clinical research
2 PCOM DO letters....

me being rejected really came to me as a shock, i felt like I had a great shot there, but it really shows the randomness of applications i guess.
Click to expand...

Sorry about that man. But it also shows that getting accepted has nothing to do with numbers....I mean good numbers might get you an interview, but after that its a crapshoot.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
ahaydt said:
Every rep that I've listened to from PCOM said it does not matter that you tell them you applied MD or that you're holding acceptances, who knows.
Click to expand...
:thumbup: Its all how you come off when you say it. Do you say "Yes I have 2 acceptances to X and Y, but they are not where I want to go." or "Yea, I was accepted to Princeton and Haaaarvarrd"
 
spazzz said:
I didn't want to bring this up, as I'm really bitter now. I got straight up rejected from PCOM, no waitlist, no nothing. It was my top choice school, but now they're basically dead to me. Anyhow.....they asked me in my interview if I had been accepted to any other programs and told them that I had (3 acceptances). There is no reason to believe that they would think or look down on that would they? I'm kind of through picking apart the interview, my app, etc. I thought everything went well, but apparently not so, and I'm ok with it, but just curious, and maybe some helpful advice for others interviewing....congrats to those accepted, I'm jealous.

my stats:
3.2/3.4sciGPA/3.7 post bacc science GPA, 28P MCAT
great EC's. Lots of DO shadowing
bench and clinical research
2 PCOM DO letters....

me being rejected really came to me as a shock, i felt like I had a great shot there, but it really shows the randomness of applications i guess.
Click to expand...

I feel your pain. I was waitlisted on Monday and my stats are extremely similiar to yours (with a 3.7 GPA across the board, but little research experience). I am so mad about it because I can't figure out what went wrong. I also told them I had two acceptances, but did reinforce that PCOM was my first choice. I have to decide now whether to be put on the waitlist, which I am not really sure I want to be. I have an acceptance at NYCOM and I consider that to be a pretty great school. I just don't know what they didn't like :(
 
chalk another one up to the waitlist...

MrsMcDreamy said:
I feel your pain. I was waitlisted on Monday and my stats are extremely similiar to yours (with a 3.7 GPA across the board, but little research experience). I am so mad about it because I can't figure out what went wrong. I also told them I had two acceptances, but did reinforce that PCOM was my first choice. I have to decide now whether to be put on the waitlist, which I am not really sure I want to be. I have an acceptance at NYCOM and I consider that to be a pretty great school. I just don't know what they didn't like :(
Click to expand...
 
for those who have been waitlisted or rejected, who did you interview with?
 
PCOM says that their avg mcat is a 24 and avg gpa is about 3.3 or 3.4. I think these stats are outdated as it says on their website. However the admissions office says they are still current. Those of you who are out of state and interviewed what are your stats? They say that they fill their class with about 60% instate and 40% out of state. That seems like pretty good odds but I think the instate number his higher. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks.
 
I've been following this thread for a while. I am extremely interested in PCOM after visiting and talking with Deb. Would anyone mind looking at my MDapps and tell me my chances? I don't know the amount of pull this factor would have, but it is not in my MDapps: My UG is affiliated with PCOM for a physician assistant program and also a PhD (Health Policy) program--there are good relations.
 
ahaydt said:
I've been following this thread for a while. I am extremely interested in PCOM after visiting and talking with Deb. Would anyone mind looking at my MDapps and tell me my chances? I don't know the amount of pull this factor would have, but it is not in my MDapps: My UG is affiliated with PCOM for a physician assistant program and also a PhD (Health Policy) program--there are good relations.
Click to expand...
I got waitlisted too, does anyone know how fast the list moves. Does anyone know if in a month or two we can call and ask about our spot on the list?
 
hey all,

i interviewed at pcom on 2/18. gpa 3.2, mcat 28, instate.
i got a really good feeling from my interview, and one of my interviewers seemed very impressed with my undergrad.
they said we should hear by 3/20, and that ~75% of the class was full.
pcom is my first choice, so fingers crossed!

p.s. this is my first post, and i'm excited to join the studentdoctor network!
 
hey, i'd like to know about waitlist movement too if anyone knows anything.
Ahaydt (sp- sorry)- ur numbers look great but don't bother asking for opinions without an mcat score- ur affiliation with pcom will undoubtedly be an asset. Good luck
ps- i interviewed with three women (2 physicians and someone from admissions)- they were all very nice but it was very conversational. I think my waitlist was pretty random- 3.5gpa 27O 10,9,8 b,v,p mcat and clinical experience as emt and rn so who knows. Also, it is late in the app process so i knew it would be up in the air.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
ahaydt said:
I've been following this thread for a while. I am extremely interested in PCOM after visiting and talking with Deb. Would anyone mind looking at my MDapps and tell me my chances? I don't know the amount of pull this factor would have, but it is not in my MDapps: My UG is affiliated with PCOM for a physician assistant program and also a PhD (Health Policy) program--there are good relations.
Click to expand...

It's all in how you present yourself at interview and it helps if you are in-state.

That said, you're going to want at least a 25 on the MCAT to be considered competitive. Shoot for the 30 and present yourself extremely well in your essays and at your interview and you'll likely be gold. Your list of ECs looks strong. And it will help that you had a PCOM alum write you a letter.
 
What percent of the class pass the comlex first try. I couldn't find this information on the website. How come pcom doesn't publish this data like other schools?
 
Where is a good place to live near PCOM? I know this got touched on much earlier but I didn't know if anyone had more insight into this. I remember hearing that Presidential is not the best place to go. How about Lincoln apartments? Also, is it a good idea for a first year to live in Manyunk/Roxborough area?
 
DocLove06 said:
What percent of the class pass the comlex first try. I couldn't find this information on the website. How come pcom doesn't publish this data like other schools?
Click to expand...

90+%

PCOM likes to be very secretive. :p

And FYI...that number is what we were told by the dean.
 
whitey19615 said:
Where is a good place to live near PCOM? I know this got touched on much earlier but I didn't know if anyone had more insight into this. I remember hearing that Presidential is not the best place to go. How about Lincoln apartments? Also, is it a good idea for a first year to live in Manyunk/Roxborough area?
Click to expand...

I am not sure I am the best person to be answering since I am in the same boat as you but I would do a few things:

1) Check out apartmentratings.com as you consider apartments; I learned a lot about various "popular" apartments through that site and it definately has helped me narrow my search.

2) Check out some of the links they sent us for apartment searching in our binder and on Nucleus. I am sure you might be able to hear about what other students are doing through the B-board.

I am sure there are some students in the Manuyunk area since I remember hearing that during my interview. It's about a 15 minute ride if that w/o traffic so as long as you are comfortable commuting a little, it's ok. It could get ugly during rush hour. Also, that area is really young with a lot of nice bars and restaurants if that's important to you.
 
Anyone know if they will be interviewing through April?
 
Who is going to the open house on March 29th for new students? Do we need to go or is it just a way to meet your future class mates?
 
Is the open house for new students??? I hadn't heard of any such open house. I just assumed the open houses were for prospective students.
 
Let me rephrase that. It is a welcome brunch. I got an email from Deborah in admissions yesterday. She said that formal invitations would soon follow.
 
udsoccer7 said:
Let me rephrase that. It is a welcome brunch. I got an email from Deborah in admissions yesterday. She said that formal invitations would soon follow.
Click to expand...

Oh, I went to that a few months back. It was really nice. You got to meet current students and faculty as well as the President of the school. The food wasn't that great :p but it was a nice way to learn more about the school and get psyched to start!
 
do I have to release my new MCAT scores to the osteopathic schools or will they have them already? and does anyone know how PCOM evaluates 2 MCATs? for example if you did worse in one section on your latest MCAT will they take the better score? thanks.
 
So, does anyone know when is the next adcom meeting? I interviewed right after the last one in February, so I'm wondering when I will hear from PCOM.
 
Well, looks like I can answer my own question...I received my acceptance packet from PCOM today (even after my nightmare interview experience!)
 
Congratulations!

I got the accept from PCOM today as well!
 
Congratulations to Lshapley and DredPiratRobrts!!!!
 
Wow - what a surprise! I didn't realise that you guys were post-baccers. I talked to Grace recently and she told me how they are sending a record number of people to PCOM this year which she is really proud of since she loves the school so much :luck:
 
fireflygirl said:
Wow - what a surprise! I didn't realise that you guys were post-baccers. I talked to Grace recently and she told me how they are sending a record number of people to PCOM this year which she is really proud of since she loves the school so much :luck:
Click to expand...

Really? She just sent me a congrats email a few minutes ago. Penn should set up a linkage, or accelerated acceptance, with PCOM considered all the love the two seem to have for each other.
 
Looking for some advice here...

Ok...I'm a 35 y/o non-trad. that got my B.S. in 1995. After around 15 years as a paramedic I decided to make the leap towards med school, specifically as a D.O.

I sent in my supplemental, my DO letter, and my advisor letter in late Jan. Today...the day just before our supplementals are due in their entirety...I get a letter informing me that I'm not complete and that my file is missing my advisor letter.

Clearly frustrated, I checked with interfolio and my letter WAS delivered, so I call the adm. office who also confirmed my stuff had been received.

Ok...as a nontrad, although I got my BS in 95, I've been attending a new school to complete my post-bac pre-med requirements. As a recent (I've been going there for 3 years now) student, I submitted my health science advisor/committee letter from my post bac school (the most recent one). Please understand...my original B.S. was in another subject, it was years ago, and my advisor has long ago died of breast cancer.

The PCOM person in the office told me that my health science advisor letter from my current advisor (although they have been my only pre-med advisor ever) simply won't work and I HAVE TO submit a letter from the school from which I got my original BS.

I tried to reason with the admissions person utilizing all of the following: my current advisor IS my one and only health science/premed advisor that I've ever had...as my original undergrad BS was of a completely different specialty it wouldn't really be applicable anyways, my undergrad advisor (from whom they seem to want the letter) died years ago from breast cancer...i.e. can't get a letter from her now!, my original undergrad program doesn't have a "Dean" as it is a tiny unique program within the Univ., and my undergrad univ has gone through 3 presidents since I graduated...none of whom know me.

This being said, it is clear that as a non-trad applicant (like many other non-trads I presume) I am not able to fulfill a technical requirement of the school.

What can I do or who in the PCOM admissions office can I talk to that is able to reason beyond "What the rule says!!!" mentality in order to get them to understand that my current premed/health science advisor letter (from a person that knows me) is much more appropriate than a blanket letter from someone who has never met me?

I hope my frustrated rambling made sense...if it didn't...please let me know.
 
OLYWA:

Dude, I feel your pain. Same thing happened with me at PCOM. I did a post-bacc and had my app held up by that same letter. Its a pain in the ***, but you can get around it. I called my undergrad school and had a form letter sent from the registrar's office. Literally took 5 mins for me to request it. The letter said I graduated in XXXX with a degree in XXXX and I was in good standing...thats it. This forced PCOM to look at my premed packet from my post-bacc while still fulfilling their requirement.
 
Olywa,

Sorry to hear about your problems, this process can be very frustrating!

I was in a similar situation to you (class of '96!). I talked to PCOM when I applied (you really have to read these applications carefully and make no assumptions) and they requested that I get a letter from the dean of my undergrad basically stating that I was a student in good standing. This is the letter that you need to get. I was able to get it by contacting my career services at my old undergrad and they made it happen for me. I would suggest that you do the same.

This process is fraught with pitfalls like this one. There are many, many stories all over SDN of students having ridiculous administrative problems with their applications. It really pays to be ocd in this process!

OLYWA said:
Looking for some advice here...

Ok...I'm a 35 y/o non-trad. that got my B.S. in 1995. After around 15 years as a paramedic I decided to make the leap towards med school, specifically as a D.O.

I sent in my supplemental, my DO letter, and my advisor letter in late Jan. Today...the day just before our supplementals are due in their entirety...I get a letter informing me that I'm not complete and that my file is missing my advisor letter.

Clearly frustrated, I checked with interfolio and my letter WAS delivered, so I call the adm. office who also confirmed my stuff had been received.

Ok...as a nontrad, although I got my BS in 95, I've been attending a new school to complete my post-bac pre-med requirements. As a recent (I've been going there for 3 years now) student, I submitted my health science advisor/committee letter from my post bac school (the most recent one). Please understand...my original B.S. was in another subject, it was years ago, and my advisor has long ago died of breast cancer.

The PCOM person in the office told me that my health science advisor letter from my current advisor (although they have been my only pre-med advisor ever) simply won't work and I HAVE TO submit a letter from the school from which I got my original BS.

I tried to reason with the admissions person utilizing all of the following: my current advisor IS my one and only health science/premed advisor that I've ever had...as my original undergrad BS was of a completely different specialty it wouldn't really be applicable anyways, my undergrad advisor (from whom they seem to want the letter) died years ago from breast cancer...i.e. can't get a letter from her now!, my original undergrad program doesn't have a "Dean" as it is a tiny unique program within the Univ., and my undergrad univ has gone through 3 presidents since I graduated...none of whom know me.

This being said, it is clear that as a non-trad applicant (like many other non-trads I presume) I am not able to fulfill a technical requirement of the school.

What can I do or who in the PCOM admissions office can I talk to that is able to reason beyond "What the rule says!!!" mentality in order to get them to understand that my current premed/health science advisor letter (from a person that knows me) is much more appropriate than a blanket letter from someone who has never met me?

I hope my frustrated rambling made sense...if it didn't...please let me know.
Click to expand...
 
When is the accepted student brunch? I haven't received anything about it yet.
 
fireflygirl said:
Oh, I went to that a few months back. It was really nice. You got to meet current students and faculty as well as the President of the school. The food wasn't that great :p but it was a nice way to learn more about the school and get psyched to start!
Click to expand...

fireflygirl, what's the dresscode for this? Jacket and tie? Business casual? Tuxedo with tails (JK!)
 
Lshapley said:
fireflygirl, what's the dresscode for this? Jacket and tie? Business casual? Tuxedo with tails (JK!)
Click to expand...

I wore business casual and there were a few people there in jeans but most wore in the former. It's pretty laid back and it's nice to hear more about the school. It's not very long and you're done within 2 hours. But I thought it was great to meet some of the higher ups - and particuarly talk about the research opps that a lot of the students have. I hope you enjoy it.
 
Thx, Fireflygirl!

I have another question for the PCOM folks. Does anyone know if PCOM schedules time (i.e., a 6 week free block) before COMLEX/USMLE for the students to prep?
 
Lshapley said:
Thx, Fireflygirl!

I have another question for the PCOM folks. Does anyone know if PCOM schedules time (i.e., a 6 week free block) before COMLEX/USMLE for the students to prep?
Click to expand...

It all depends on when you want to take the boards. Ex. I'm taking my boards on June 10th and our last class is on May 2nd...so I have about 5 weeks of 'free' time. There are other people in my class that are taking their boards earlier.

We also just started our last semester of our 2nd year and it is 'suppose' to be pretty stress free and easy. So I have plenty of time to devote to pre-hardcore boards studying.
 
DO Sigma Nu guy said:
It all depends on when you want to take the boards. Ex. I'm taking my boards on June 10th and our last class is on May 2nd...so I have about 5 weeks of 'free' time. There are other people in my class that are taking their boards earlier.

We also just started our last semester of our 2nd year and it is 'suppose' to be pretty stress free and easy. So I have plenty of time to devote to pre-hardcore boards studying.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Good to see that there is time. I saw from an earlier post that I was confusing you with the guy who was leading our orientation earlier in the day when I interviewed. Guess I skipped out before you came along :oops: I think I need to post something about how my worst interview became an acceptance (isn't there a thread for that somewhere?)
 
Lshapley said:
Thanks! Good to see that there is time. I saw from an earlier post that I was confusing you with the guy who was leading our orientation earlier in the day when I interviewed. Guess I skipped out before you came along :oops: I think I need to post something about how my worst interview became an acceptance (isn't there a thread for that somewhere?)
Click to expand...

OOoo I would love to hear the story. But you could technically post in the worst interview threads in pre-allo. They have some pretty funny stories there!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

D
What should I upload into PCOM portal?
Replies
5
Views
646
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
PapaGuava
  • Locked
  • Sticky
2023-2024 Alphabetic Index of Osteopathic School-Specific Discussion Threads
Replies
0
Views
28K
PapaGuava
PapaGuava
PapaGuava
2023-2024 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM-PA)
11 12 13 14 15
Replies
731
Views
128K
selmalabama
selmalabama
C
(LOW SMP GPA) - Any former PCOM biomed students know about the acceptance rate into the DO program from the biomed program?
Replies
6
Views
2K
Angus Avagadro
Angus Avagadro
PapaGuava
  • Locked
2022-2023 Alphabetic Index of Osteopathic School-Specific Discussion Threads
Replies
0
Views
62K
PapaGuava
PapaGuava
Top