I have an interview for April 12th any suggestions? I know this is for a spot on the waitlist. I would also like to know who else is interviewing?
PCOM - Georgia Campus Class of 2014!
- Thread starter jesscsanchez
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Anyone know why they are interviewing so many more applicants? I am a current student on hold and this is not looking good. There seems to be more and more students being added to the interview list with 50 or so already on hold. It's crazy.
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How do you know 50 or more are on hold?
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I dont know why they would be interviewing if you had no chance to get in. Also, Im not sure the class is full yet so I dont know why you said it is for a spot on the waitlist.
Whether or not you should go is youre call...if the travel expenses are in your mind worth the shot at attending then go for it.
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Class is not full yet...and we have a 50 more people on the waiting list (?)....and we still interviewing more candidate... Hmmm, I guess admission is getting picky about acceptance. I wonder, if they have that much of people in waiting list why don't they just start accepting some of them? Are they looking for more specific candidate at this late? Just curious...Good luck on all the people interviewing or waiting, hope to see you all in August.
If there really are that many people on hold and they cont. to interview more then whats the point? For a small class your going to have a very large pool of holds and the competition will be very, very tough.
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I know, I was surprised when I saw that they're holding 50 candidate in wait list. And still interviewing...Yeah competition will be tough for last few seats I guess. But don't be discouraged, anything can happen in just few weeks from now on.
I just received my letter today... it said "The Faculty Committee on Admissions has decided, following your interview, to delay a decision on your application for admission. The committee will review your application credentials from time to time and you will be notified as soon as a decision is reached. Usually a final decision is made well in advance of the opening of the College so that the candidate has ample time to make definite plans for the fall."... What does this mean? Is this a wait list letter? My LORs were sent in September to the Philly campus as instructed but during my interview I was asked if I only had 1 LOR. I explained that I had 4. They told me to contact the Philly campus. When I did, they apologized and said it was an honest mistake that they were correcting ASAP. I made sure, through several emails and phone calls with Trena that this would be taken care of before a decision about me was made. She said and I quote "I've forwarded your emails to philly, but I think it will all work out just fine" and I got that letter today so... anyone know what this means?!
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I don't how their waiting list letter looks like but it seems like they have not reached any decision on your file. Basically, they have neither accepted or rejected you at this point (on hold situation). I could be wrong. When did you make sure that your LOR's were all sent? And when was your interview? If all of your LORs reached the admission office at least few weeks ago, they probably have reviewed them. It wouldn't hurt to ask from Trena what does this letter really mean. Or somebody who got similar letter might explain this better in this forum. Currently we still have not filled our seats yet and they still interviewing, which means your file will be reviewed again at some point this April, and the admission might make a decision. Kind of wait and see game...
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You're on the waitlist....Welcome to the club!
It isn't a waitlist...it is a hold. Basically, at some point they will accept some, make up a waitlist and reject all others. If the 50 plus people on hold is true there will be a lot of disappointed people. I am with you guys, so all we can do is just keep waiting.
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Congratulations to all who have been accepted and good luck to the others on this thread. I am a soon-to-be third-year student and can remember the excitement of figuring out where I would be going to school. For those excited about finding a place to live, I have an excellent choice in the townhouse that I will be vacating in June for my rotations.
The 3 bedroom/3.5 bath townhouse is as nice as any apartments in the area, yet newer and closer to school. Located on Bell Grove Lane, which is apparently new enough to appear incorrectly on Google maps, it's only 2.2 miles and one intersection away from the PCOM driveway. The gated neighborhood is already home to ten PCOM DO students and one of your future anatomy professors. Ideally oriented for roommates, each of the large bedrooms hosts its own full bath and two of three have walk-in closets (third closet is still a good size). The main floor is composed of a large kitchen with new appliances, a living/dining room (all hardwood) and a porch. A two car garage and ample parking for 4-5 cars is also on the property. Lawn maintenance and water are included in the $1350 asking price, making this as good a value as you will find in Suwanee housing. The rest of the bills are up to you, but being a new house with all electric HVAC the power bill is very reasonable.
If interested please email me at [email protected]. I would be glad to show you the house and answer any questions you may have about school/the area.
Good luck,
Will
The 3 bedroom/3.5 bath townhouse is as nice as any apartments in the area, yet newer and closer to school. Located on Bell Grove Lane, which is apparently new enough to appear incorrectly on Google maps, it's only 2.2 miles and one intersection away from the PCOM driveway. The gated neighborhood is already home to ten PCOM DO students and one of your future anatomy professors. Ideally oriented for roommates, each of the large bedrooms hosts its own full bath and two of three have walk-in closets (third closet is still a good size). The main floor is composed of a large kitchen with new appliances, a living/dining room (all hardwood) and a porch. A two car garage and ample parking for 4-5 cars is also on the property. Lawn maintenance and water are included in the $1350 asking price, making this as good a value as you will find in Suwanee housing. The rest of the bills are up to you, but being a new house with all electric HVAC the power bill is very reasonable.
If interested please email me at [email protected]. I would be glad to show you the house and answer any questions you may have about school/the area.
Good luck,
Will
If you come to the interview, you have a good chance to get into the program. Otherwise, you let yourself wait for next year.
Do.not accuse me of not telling the truth. Perhaps the admissions office should quit saying that. They have been keeping applicants on hold all the while extending interviews. This is a slap in the face of those on hold.
I apologize. I mistakenly thought you were talking about the new pharmacy school.
Ironically, zen was correct (although he/she was in the wrong forum). There are no where near 50 applicants on hold. So, for those of us on hold that is good news! Less people=better statistical chance. Hang in there and hopefully, we will find out soon. That includes you to Pcomma.
By the way, the new pharmacy school should be a solid program. As a pharmacist, I have worked with one of your new professors and I must say she is incredible. If the rest of the facutly have any where near the knowledge and passion for pharmacy as her, you are in for a great education. GL to everyone applying to their pharm. school.
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Yeah they got mine yesterday and sent me the background check form...I just paid for a background check with the same company a few months ago, /one would think that is something that would be transferable...definitely not...there goes another 50 bucks
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Hey Guys!
Im a 4th yr at GAPCOM. Graduation is in sight!! Yeah! I originally posted this message on a forum asking about differences in DO schools and what schools were better/worse, but thought that maybe it would encourage some of you as well and lend some helpful insight. If not, just ignore it then. But either way, CONGRATS to all of you accepted into our school!! I loved it and would do it all over again if I had to! Its a great school! Best of Luck to all of you!! Feel free to contact me ANYTIME in the next 4 yrs if you ever have a question or need something. Its a huge accomplishment yal are about to embark on!!
CONGRATS!
POSTED BELOW:
Just checked this thread out for the heck of it and really wanted to add some insight to some of you.
ShyRem did a great job of stating facts above. I'm gonna add on that.
I was/am the 2nd graduating class at the Georgia Campus PCOM and of course, for me personally, I love my school and would pick it again, for location, people, academics, friends, etc..
But I need to clarify things:
1. TUITION: You are going to pay a lot to go to school. You are going to "most the time" pay a lot or take risks for what you want to do in life. You WILL PAY IT BACK. Ive never heard of a doctor starving because his med school loans were too high. Yes, be reasonably prudent, try not to over borrow and spend recklessly, but the truth of the matter is that unless you are always terribly late with monthly payments and thus get tons of late fees and upped APRs tacked onto your debt, you will do like the rest of us, and pay it off one month at a time. There are 101 ways/opportunities to expedite the repayment of these loans for those of you who aren't lazy and who take the time to look them up (online, books, refs) and speak with your advisors, family, and other students. I am NOT just talking about primary care field or military loan repayments. So, in the end, isnt ANY amount of money worth your happiness and dreams? To me it was! I will owe ~close to $300 grand. AND I will have most of it paid off within the next 10yrs. Be thankful there is money there to loan you. And find creative ways to pay it back. Or just pay the minimum payment every month and enjoy your life.
2. ACADEMICS/CURRICULUM: I have found that every student at every school will often at times complain of their curriculum or certain teachers; regardless of MD/DO school. And I have also learned that an EDUCATION is what YOU choose to make of it. There isn't one school that wont teach you about the Kidney or Cystic Fibrosis. Now whether you take the time to learn your material or just cram the night before is up to you. Numerous posts on these forums have shown, that despite what people's MCAT scores were, grades in Med school, etc...Many ROCKED their boards and or Step 2s and or Landed Killer Residencies. YOU DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE. YOU decide what kind of a student you will be. You choose to be a lifelong learner and enjoy what you study. I honestly feel all the schools have a decent education system. But truth of the matter is that no two students will learn the same material in school. One may get 75% of the material down flat the other may only get 50%. It is what you PUT into IT! Make the most of it! And dont compare yourself to anyone else. If you are doing the best you can, being the best student you can be, then who cares what scores you or someone else is getting with less study time. Be the BEST only you can be and learn what you can. You'll find that med school only scratches the top of it. You can't Know everything. You'll really only start learning in residency and thats not where you'll stop learning either...
3. 3rd/4th YEAR ROTATIONS: Most schools in DO world dont have affiliated hospitals for their school. Meaning we do not have a GAPCOM hospital, but we do have affiliations with other programs/hospitals. Sometimes you may have a rotation or affiliated hospital one year and the next you dont...those things happen so you can not always bank on going to a school because of an affiliated hospital. We originally were told (when I interviewed) that we had agreements with AMC (Atlanta Medical Center) and GRADY hospital in Atlanta. Both great hospitals that Emory and Moorehouse students went to. Well.......AMC lost their OB/GYN residency accreditation that yr and decided they werent taking ANY med students bc they needed to "FIX" their programs. GRADY almost went /is going broke. Other offices decided they didnt want to take students. OTHER hospitals decided to make agreements with other med schools who paid more to have ONLY their students rotate through. So, just know these things CAN change. Plus a program is only as good as the doctors in it teaching you and only as good as the student who took it say. People leave/change. You may have 2 students on the exact same rotation and one LOVED it and the other HATED it and didnt learn a thing. There are a lot of subjective things that go into rotations and how people get along/interact/study/learn. ALSO NEW programs get added and picked up in future years. Another thing that seems to be a concern for a lot of people is hospital affiliations or offices with residency programs. Well, yes, having rotations set up in programs with a residency program is good in that you will learn the hierarchy, go to grand rounds (hopefully) and get to present and participate in lectures. These programs oftentimes have more resources and you may be able to get on a project and help publish something or do research. You will learn and see how the "team" functions and works together. All important things. Things that will help prepare you for residency. It also means that sometimes you are last on the totem pole. I spent probably 65/35 percent of my time 3rd/4th yr in programs that were Residency based/non-residency based rotations. Let me tell you, some of my BEST rotations and where I learned the MOST and got the MOST hands on training (and thus was able to shine on my Sub-Is) were in the NON-residency programs where I was one-on-one with the Drs. I was 1st assist on EVERY surgery, I DELIVERED 5 out of 19 babies on my own! (With the OBGYN standing behind me!), I circumcised 5 baby boys on my own, I literally almost did an inguinal hernia repair by myself while the Attending instructed me on what to do carefully watching me and helping me. Stuff that never wouldve happened in a busy surgery residency program rotation. I learned SOOOO much on a lot of my rotations. Now, I have experience doing a lot of these things and feel very comfortable in practice, with patients, and when an Attending asks me if I've closed before. I can suture and show him. There is no nervousness. This usually got me more OR time and I was able to do more. Unfortunately a lot of times in BIG hospitals with BIG names even, and residency programs, you wont get that experience because the residents want to jump at chances to learn new skills and participate. You'll shadow mostly or maybe remove a foley if you're lucky. Each place is different. And different attendings will let different students do more or less - sometimes for no explainable reasons. Just some food to chew on for you guys.
4. ROTATIONS/ELECTIVES: Coming from a DO school that had only 1 yr of 70 something grads ahead of us, I was able to get EVERY single AWAY rotation/elective I applied for and I applied ALL MD programs. You guys have GOT TO QUIT THINKING WITH SUCH LIMITED MINDSETS! You can and will get MOST things you apply for. Do not always be so certain to think because you didn't get a rotation somewhere it was because you were a DO. There are so many factors that play into things. Quit acting like you know them all. For example: There were 6 people in my class who got rotations at Hopkins for electives. 8 people applied for rotations. Only 2 didnt get them...One of those 2 was a Top student academically. But 2/8 didn't get electives. Why?? Who knows?? Couldve been anything.
People in our class matched and rotated at Fantastic MD/DO places. My advice: apply early, email the program secretaries, BE KIND, COURTEOUS, and like-able, aka polite and friendly. That will get you in most doors 80% of the time. Work Hard, dont complain...can I say that again, DONT COMPLAIN!! I can't tell you how many times I capitalized on opportunities because I wasnt sitting in a room complaining with fellow students about stuff, I was smiling and doing whatever I could to help or make things better. I guess Ive said all I can about this. YOU WILL MAKE YOUR OWN rotations/electives for where you want to go. I was always polite and most the time emailed programs I was interested in EARLY, even before rotations to ask about the program and go ahead and establish a "connection" be it just 1 or 2 emails. ...did I do that on every elective I applied to ? No. Did I get all 6 I wanted ? Yes. 4 spots were at top 10 MD programs, and 2 were at fantastic DO programs. But I applied where I wanted to GO for residency, not based on program. PLUS I learned a lot about the programs and ones I originally wanted to go to, I changed my mind about after rotating there. Never discredit what you can learn about a program during a Sub-I!
5. RESIDENCY: I matched MD program. OVER half my class matched into MD programs that were somewhere in their 1st-3rd choice list and we are a 2 yr old DO school (rather we are only the 2nd graduating class from this new school). You can see our match list posted on another forum. We had Rads, Anesthsiology, Uro, Neuro, EM, OB/GYN, etc, etc, and it was what my classmates WANTED TO MATCH INTO!! Yes, some people LOVE FM, some dont...My advice - dont settle. Go for what you want.
What was the ONE common factor that every person in my class had that matched into some supposedly "impossible" great MD spots? Persistence, hard work and optimism. They didnt all have Stellar scores as one might imagine. Some did, some did not. BUT they all worked hard, most did Sub-Is at places they really wanted to go, stayed positive, and went after what they wanted despite people telling them it would be "impossible, too hard, waste of time, no way, they dont take DOs, they arent DO friendly, etc etc etc etc"....
I also learned an important lesson myself on my 2nd sub-I during 4th yr - I WAS THE ONLY PERSON THERE THAT FELT MY BEING A DO WAS INFERIOR. That was the best lesson I ever learned. Everyone else was taking me for what I was: How I acted and performed on that rotation.
So try not to make up things in your head as to what you think a program/attending/resident may be thinking of you when you're on a rotation with 10 other students from UCLA, Stanford, hopkins, cornell, washU, Penn, etc and you're the only DO. NOBODY CARES BUT YOU! And in fact, most the time more people than you realize, just dont really know what the differences are between us. (not much in my opinion- but they just dont know!) They arent trying to be mean or rude when they ask you things about your school or you or being a DO. They just dont know what your school was like or what you are like. More importantly: YOU are going to form that person's first impressions EVER of a DO. So go out there confident and be yourself and be friendly and work hard! Dont slack off, talk crap, and make us all look Bad! Dont limit yourself by your own thoughts and words! Goodness! Be nice to yourself! And dont step on others to get there!
When people quit limiting themselves, then they will really see how much they can accomplish. When you quit listening to THOSE voices, THEN anything becomes possible to you.
Be thankful you got accepted into MED school! YOU are going to be a DOCTOR!! Thats huge!! Now go celebrate and work hard in school and apply yourself! After 4yrs now...and matched into my top choice...with 1 month left to go.....I seriously wonder why we ever worried so much in the first place! It all works out! You are NOT limited! (UNLESS YOU SAY/THINK YOU ARE!) Go pave the way for someone else!
Ok - done with the peptalk. Apologize for the length. Best of luck and wishes to you all as you start your med school careers or choose schools. Make them what you want! You certainly can!
Last edited by GAPCOM student; Today at 01:50 AM.
Im a 4th yr at GAPCOM. Graduation is in sight!! Yeah! I originally posted this message on a forum asking about differences in DO schools and what schools were better/worse, but thought that maybe it would encourage some of you as well and lend some helpful insight. If not, just ignore it then. But either way, CONGRATS to all of you accepted into our school!! I loved it and would do it all over again if I had to! Its a great school! Best of Luck to all of you!! Feel free to contact me ANYTIME in the next 4 yrs if you ever have a question or need something. Its a huge accomplishment yal are about to embark on!!
CONGRATS!
POSTED BELOW:
Just checked this thread out for the heck of it and really wanted to add some insight to some of you.
ShyRem did a great job of stating facts above. I'm gonna add on that.
I was/am the 2nd graduating class at the Georgia Campus PCOM and of course, for me personally, I love my school and would pick it again, for location, people, academics, friends, etc..
But I need to clarify things:
1. TUITION: You are going to pay a lot to go to school. You are going to "most the time" pay a lot or take risks for what you want to do in life. You WILL PAY IT BACK. Ive never heard of a doctor starving because his med school loans were too high. Yes, be reasonably prudent, try not to over borrow and spend recklessly, but the truth of the matter is that unless you are always terribly late with monthly payments and thus get tons of late fees and upped APRs tacked onto your debt, you will do like the rest of us, and pay it off one month at a time. There are 101 ways/opportunities to expedite the repayment of these loans for those of you who aren't lazy and who take the time to look them up (online, books, refs) and speak with your advisors, family, and other students. I am NOT just talking about primary care field or military loan repayments. So, in the end, isnt ANY amount of money worth your happiness and dreams? To me it was! I will owe ~close to $300 grand. AND I will have most of it paid off within the next 10yrs. Be thankful there is money there to loan you. And find creative ways to pay it back. Or just pay the minimum payment every month and enjoy your life.
2. ACADEMICS/CURRICULUM: I have found that every student at every school will often at times complain of their curriculum or certain teachers; regardless of MD/DO school. And I have also learned that an EDUCATION is what YOU choose to make of it. There isn't one school that wont teach you about the Kidney or Cystic Fibrosis. Now whether you take the time to learn your material or just cram the night before is up to you. Numerous posts on these forums have shown, that despite what people's MCAT scores were, grades in Med school, etc...Many ROCKED their boards and or Step 2s and or Landed Killer Residencies. YOU DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE. YOU decide what kind of a student you will be. You choose to be a lifelong learner and enjoy what you study. I honestly feel all the schools have a decent education system. But truth of the matter is that no two students will learn the same material in school. One may get 75% of the material down flat the other may only get 50%. It is what you PUT into IT! Make the most of it! And dont compare yourself to anyone else. If you are doing the best you can, being the best student you can be, then who cares what scores you or someone else is getting with less study time. Be the BEST only you can be and learn what you can. You'll find that med school only scratches the top of it. You can't Know everything. You'll really only start learning in residency and thats not where you'll stop learning either...
3. 3rd/4th YEAR ROTATIONS: Most schools in DO world dont have affiliated hospitals for their school. Meaning we do not have a GAPCOM hospital, but we do have affiliations with other programs/hospitals. Sometimes you may have a rotation or affiliated hospital one year and the next you dont...those things happen so you can not always bank on going to a school because of an affiliated hospital. We originally were told (when I interviewed) that we had agreements with AMC (Atlanta Medical Center) and GRADY hospital in Atlanta. Both great hospitals that Emory and Moorehouse students went to. Well.......AMC lost their OB/GYN residency accreditation that yr and decided they werent taking ANY med students bc they needed to "FIX" their programs. GRADY almost went /is going broke. Other offices decided they didnt want to take students. OTHER hospitals decided to make agreements with other med schools who paid more to have ONLY their students rotate through. So, just know these things CAN change. Plus a program is only as good as the doctors in it teaching you and only as good as the student who took it say. People leave/change. You may have 2 students on the exact same rotation and one LOVED it and the other HATED it and didnt learn a thing. There are a lot of subjective things that go into rotations and how people get along/interact/study/learn. ALSO NEW programs get added and picked up in future years. Another thing that seems to be a concern for a lot of people is hospital affiliations or offices with residency programs. Well, yes, having rotations set up in programs with a residency program is good in that you will learn the hierarchy, go to grand rounds (hopefully) and get to present and participate in lectures. These programs oftentimes have more resources and you may be able to get on a project and help publish something or do research. You will learn and see how the "team" functions and works together. All important things. Things that will help prepare you for residency. It also means that sometimes you are last on the totem pole. I spent probably 65/35 percent of my time 3rd/4th yr in programs that were Residency based/non-residency based rotations. Let me tell you, some of my BEST rotations and where I learned the MOST and got the MOST hands on training (and thus was able to shine on my Sub-Is) were in the NON-residency programs where I was one-on-one with the Drs. I was 1st assist on EVERY surgery, I DELIVERED 5 out of 19 babies on my own! (With the OBGYN standing behind me!), I circumcised 5 baby boys on my own, I literally almost did an inguinal hernia repair by myself while the Attending instructed me on what to do carefully watching me and helping me. Stuff that never wouldve happened in a busy surgery residency program rotation. I learned SOOOO much on a lot of my rotations. Now, I have experience doing a lot of these things and feel very comfortable in practice, with patients, and when an Attending asks me if I've closed before. I can suture and show him. There is no nervousness. This usually got me more OR time and I was able to do more. Unfortunately a lot of times in BIG hospitals with BIG names even, and residency programs, you wont get that experience because the residents want to jump at chances to learn new skills and participate. You'll shadow mostly or maybe remove a foley if you're lucky. Each place is different. And different attendings will let different students do more or less - sometimes for no explainable reasons. Just some food to chew on for you guys.
4. ROTATIONS/ELECTIVES: Coming from a DO school that had only 1 yr of 70 something grads ahead of us, I was able to get EVERY single AWAY rotation/elective I applied for and I applied ALL MD programs. You guys have GOT TO QUIT THINKING WITH SUCH LIMITED MINDSETS! You can and will get MOST things you apply for. Do not always be so certain to think because you didn't get a rotation somewhere it was because you were a DO. There are so many factors that play into things. Quit acting like you know them all. For example: There were 6 people in my class who got rotations at Hopkins for electives. 8 people applied for rotations. Only 2 didnt get them...One of those 2 was a Top student academically. But 2/8 didn't get electives. Why?? Who knows?? Couldve been anything.
People in our class matched and rotated at Fantastic MD/DO places. My advice: apply early, email the program secretaries, BE KIND, COURTEOUS, and like-able, aka polite and friendly. That will get you in most doors 80% of the time. Work Hard, dont complain...can I say that again, DONT COMPLAIN!! I can't tell you how many times I capitalized on opportunities because I wasnt sitting in a room complaining with fellow students about stuff, I was smiling and doing whatever I could to help or make things better. I guess Ive said all I can about this. YOU WILL MAKE YOUR OWN rotations/electives for where you want to go. I was always polite and most the time emailed programs I was interested in EARLY, even before rotations to ask about the program and go ahead and establish a "connection" be it just 1 or 2 emails. ...did I do that on every elective I applied to ? No. Did I get all 6 I wanted ? Yes. 4 spots were at top 10 MD programs, and 2 were at fantastic DO programs. But I applied where I wanted to GO for residency, not based on program. PLUS I learned a lot about the programs and ones I originally wanted to go to, I changed my mind about after rotating there. Never discredit what you can learn about a program during a Sub-I!
5. RESIDENCY: I matched MD program. OVER half my class matched into MD programs that were somewhere in their 1st-3rd choice list and we are a 2 yr old DO school (rather we are only the 2nd graduating class from this new school). You can see our match list posted on another forum. We had Rads, Anesthsiology, Uro, Neuro, EM, OB/GYN, etc, etc, and it was what my classmates WANTED TO MATCH INTO!! Yes, some people LOVE FM, some dont...My advice - dont settle. Go for what you want.
What was the ONE common factor that every person in my class had that matched into some supposedly "impossible" great MD spots? Persistence, hard work and optimism. They didnt all have Stellar scores as one might imagine. Some did, some did not. BUT they all worked hard, most did Sub-Is at places they really wanted to go, stayed positive, and went after what they wanted despite people telling them it would be "impossible, too hard, waste of time, no way, they dont take DOs, they arent DO friendly, etc etc etc etc"....
I also learned an important lesson myself on my 2nd sub-I during 4th yr - I WAS THE ONLY PERSON THERE THAT FELT MY BEING A DO WAS INFERIOR. That was the best lesson I ever learned. Everyone else was taking me for what I was: How I acted and performed on that rotation.
So try not to make up things in your head as to what you think a program/attending/resident may be thinking of you when you're on a rotation with 10 other students from UCLA, Stanford, hopkins, cornell, washU, Penn, etc and you're the only DO. NOBODY CARES BUT YOU! And in fact, most the time more people than you realize, just dont really know what the differences are between us. (not much in my opinion- but they just dont know!) They arent trying to be mean or rude when they ask you things about your school or you or being a DO. They just dont know what your school was like or what you are like. More importantly: YOU are going to form that person's first impressions EVER of a DO. So go out there confident and be yourself and be friendly and work hard! Dont slack off, talk crap, and make us all look Bad! Dont limit yourself by your own thoughts and words! Goodness! Be nice to yourself! And dont step on others to get there!
When people quit limiting themselves, then they will really see how much they can accomplish. When you quit listening to THOSE voices, THEN anything becomes possible to you.
Be thankful you got accepted into MED school! YOU are going to be a DOCTOR!! Thats huge!! Now go celebrate and work hard in school and apply yourself! After 4yrs now...and matched into my top choice...with 1 month left to go.....I seriously wonder why we ever worried so much in the first place! It all works out! You are NOT limited! (UNLESS YOU SAY/THINK YOU ARE!) Go pave the way for someone else!
Ok - done with the peptalk. Apologize for the length. Best of luck and wishes to you all as you start your med school careers or choose schools. Make them what you want! You certainly can!
Last edited by GAPCOM student; Today at 01:50 AM.
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OH and just an FYI to help keep some of your spirits up:
2 people in my class were accepted into our med school class the DAY BEFORE classes started!
and
1 person was accepted a week before classes started! He had actually already started grad school somewhere else! And of course he came down to join us!
So PRAY, trust, believe you were meant to be doctors and Best of LUCK!!
AND...IF for some reason it doesnt work out this year...DO NOT GIVE UP! If your dream is to be a doc...make it happen! Persistence pays off!
GOOD LUCK!
2 people in my class were accepted into our med school class the DAY BEFORE classes started!
and
1 person was accepted a week before classes started! He had actually already started grad school somewhere else! And of course he came down to join us!
So PRAY, trust, believe you were meant to be doctors and Best of LUCK!!
AND...IF for some reason it doesnt work out this year...DO NOT GIVE UP! If your dream is to be a doc...make it happen! Persistence pays off!
GOOD LUCK!
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That's all good advice, and I am starting to relate to it as my second year comes to a close.
Right now, I hate my life. I walk through the same doors every day, I sit in the same seat and look at power points all day long. My break in the action is when I treat myself to a couple hours on USMLE world. Yay.
We all bitch about our classes and our school and this or that, but looking at it objectively, I don't have any serious problems with anything the school does. I'm sure there are things that they could do better, but does any of this really affect me significantly?
Right now, I am scoring right around the average for USMLE world. So what does that mean? I'm right there with the rest of the medical students in the country. And I can say this while freely admitting I haven't always performed up to my potential. As much as I would love for it to be like the matrix, where they just plug you into a computer and they can teach you kung fu, pathology, and pharmacology, the fact of the matter is, we've got to take care of business ourselves.
None of the MD students you rotate with will give a **** that you're at a DO school. If someone is an ******* to you because of this, chances are they would have been an ******* to you for another reason if you weren't at a DO school.
There is something to be said for putting your name out there too. I was at an emergency medicine conference in Arizona this past week, and I took four hours out one day to go visit Maricopa in Phoenix, which is considered one of the better programs in the country for EM. Will that help me? No clue. But I'm probably going to do a month of MICU there and work on the EM team in the ICU.
I also have been in touch with another powerhouse program who said that they will be willing to create an EM ultrasound rotation for me, when the time comes. This rotation isn't on their website. What is (I think) on their website, however, is that they don't take students from osteopathic schools. But the director of the department says he doesn't care, that he's had DO students rotate with him in the past, and to shoot him an e-mail when the time comes.
Don't shut yourself up in the library full-time. Get to know people who can help your career. I came out here not knowing a single person in Georgia, and I managed to land a pretty sweet research gig with Emory Emergency Medicine, and I like to think I've done a good job for them. With 2nd-year winding down, we've slowed down a lot, but we are almost done, so that's nice. That will probably help me to get a pretty prime rotation spot there for EM, and hopefully, a good letter.
Another thing I'd like to add... there are some fantastic DO and dual programs. Don't think that just because a program is not ACGME-accredited that its ****. And I'm not just talking primary care programs either. There are some awesome programs in every specialty that happen to be AOA-accredited, or dual. You just have to find out what these programs are. There are some osteopathic emergency medicine programs out there that I would choose over all but a handful of ACGME programs. And who knows, maybe one of them will end up being my #1. I've made commitments to rotate at pretty much all MD programs during 4th-year, so I don't know how seriously they'll take me at the AOA programs, but I am already putting the feelers out to let some of these places know that I am still interested, and I may come out and shadow for a weekend or something, even if I can't work in a rotation.
As for people not understanding what goes on at DO school, here's a good example of this...
I was at this conference this past week, and the last night I was there, I went back to the bar at my hotel for a beer before I went to bed. I started talking to a guy there about sports, and eventually, I mentioned that I was a medical student. He asked where, and I said "PCOM". He looked puzzled and said "posterior communicating artery?"
I said "Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine". I try not to drop the "Georgia" thing in there at first, because I figure I've got enough to worry about trying to explain osteopathic to people, without having to explain why Philadelphia College is in Georgia.
"Oh! A DO school." he replied.
It turned out that this guy was a vascular surgeon from the Northwest, and he really had no idea what the difference was between a DO school and an MD school. He then went on to ask me about my rotations, how many years our education was, what our pre-clinical years are like, etc., and he was friendly as can be. He just didn't know much about it, and I'd like to think I made a good impression. He was a really nice guy. I asked him a ton of questions about vascular surgery, then he started asking me some questions about emergency medicine, we had a few beers, and he wished me luck.
I just realized I've got my whole 4th-year pretty much all planned out already. How sad is that? Or awesome, depending on how you want to look at it.
Right now, I hate my life. I walk through the same doors every day, I sit in the same seat and look at power points all day long. My break in the action is when I treat myself to a couple hours on USMLE world. Yay.
We all bitch about our classes and our school and this or that, but looking at it objectively, I don't have any serious problems with anything the school does. I'm sure there are things that they could do better, but does any of this really affect me significantly?
Right now, I am scoring right around the average for USMLE world. So what does that mean? I'm right there with the rest of the medical students in the country. And I can say this while freely admitting I haven't always performed up to my potential. As much as I would love for it to be like the matrix, where they just plug you into a computer and they can teach you kung fu, pathology, and pharmacology, the fact of the matter is, we've got to take care of business ourselves.
None of the MD students you rotate with will give a **** that you're at a DO school. If someone is an ******* to you because of this, chances are they would have been an ******* to you for another reason if you weren't at a DO school.
There is something to be said for putting your name out there too. I was at an emergency medicine conference in Arizona this past week, and I took four hours out one day to go visit Maricopa in Phoenix, which is considered one of the better programs in the country for EM. Will that help me? No clue. But I'm probably going to do a month of MICU there and work on the EM team in the ICU.
I also have been in touch with another powerhouse program who said that they will be willing to create an EM ultrasound rotation for me, when the time comes. This rotation isn't on their website. What is (I think) on their website, however, is that they don't take students from osteopathic schools. But the director of the department says he doesn't care, that he's had DO students rotate with him in the past, and to shoot him an e-mail when the time comes.
Don't shut yourself up in the library full-time. Get to know people who can help your career. I came out here not knowing a single person in Georgia, and I managed to land a pretty sweet research gig with Emory Emergency Medicine, and I like to think I've done a good job for them. With 2nd-year winding down, we've slowed down a lot, but we are almost done, so that's nice. That will probably help me to get a pretty prime rotation spot there for EM, and hopefully, a good letter.
Another thing I'd like to add... there are some fantastic DO and dual programs. Don't think that just because a program is not ACGME-accredited that its ****. And I'm not just talking primary care programs either. There are some awesome programs in every specialty that happen to be AOA-accredited, or dual. You just have to find out what these programs are. There are some osteopathic emergency medicine programs out there that I would choose over all but a handful of ACGME programs. And who knows, maybe one of them will end up being my #1. I've made commitments to rotate at pretty much all MD programs during 4th-year, so I don't know how seriously they'll take me at the AOA programs, but I am already putting the feelers out to let some of these places know that I am still interested, and I may come out and shadow for a weekend or something, even if I can't work in a rotation.
As for people not understanding what goes on at DO school, here's a good example of this...
I was at this conference this past week, and the last night I was there, I went back to the bar at my hotel for a beer before I went to bed. I started talking to a guy there about sports, and eventually, I mentioned that I was a medical student. He asked where, and I said "PCOM". He looked puzzled and said "posterior communicating artery?"
I said "Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine". I try not to drop the "Georgia" thing in there at first, because I figure I've got enough to worry about trying to explain osteopathic to people, without having to explain why Philadelphia College is in Georgia.
"Oh! A DO school." he replied.
It turned out that this guy was a vascular surgeon from the Northwest, and he really had no idea what the difference was between a DO school and an MD school. He then went on to ask me about my rotations, how many years our education was, what our pre-clinical years are like, etc., and he was friendly as can be. He just didn't know much about it, and I'd like to think I made a good impression. He was a really nice guy. I asked him a ton of questions about vascular surgery, then he started asking me some questions about emergency medicine, we had a few beers, and he wished me luck.
I just realized I've got my whole 4th-year pretty much all planned out already. How sad is that? Or awesome, depending on how you want to look at it.
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GAPCOM student and TexasTriathlete, Thanks you so much for the GREAT ADVICES and ENCOURAGEMENT!
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Anytime!
Texas, said so many "nail it on the head" facts. Get out there! Show yourself! Be polite! Work Hard! I had many similar circumstances where I "serendipitously" ran into or met people who ended up having me rotate at their programs, writing a book chapter with them, or interviewing for Residency!! Seriously!! So REACH for the Stars! You so can!BEST WISHES TEXAS!!
Awesome Job!- Joined
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Quick question. Once you filled out the FAFSA and submitted it, and then get the email saying that your application has processed, that means you're finished filling out FAFSA right? Is there anything else that we supposed to do by April 15th (which is today btw)?
What's the next step? Thanks everybody.
What's the next step? Thanks everybody.
You have to have in all financial aid information today. Including signed 2009 tax return of your parents, your spouse, or yourself. There is also some other form they sent in the financial aid packet to fill out. Also the $2000 deposit. I think that's it
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You have to have in all financial aid information today. Including signed 2009 tax return of your parents, your spouse, or yourself. There is also some other form they sent in the financial aid packet to fill out. Also the $2000 deposit. I think that's it
Thanks ALBrant! I have filed my tax, sent $2000 deposit, and submitted FAFSA couple days ago. I wonder what would be the some other form that we need to fill out from the packet...? Maybe the MPN thing? The packet (which I just got 2 days ago) says I can check my financial aid info in nucleus, and I can't check it in nucleus for some reason. Anyway, I will call financial office and see what they can do about it. Thank you though!
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Teacherman,
I sent in the two grand and completed the financial aid stuff but I never received a form for the criminal background check. Is it available on the internet?
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I haven't received the background check info either....
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Its nothing exciting and most likely in the mail...or email...I forget how it came
https://weborder.precheck.net/StudentCheck/studentmain.aspx
Go to this website, find the school and follow the directions. It cost $48.50 unless you live in New Mexico or Texas...they pay a few bucks more.
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Trena's facebook states that they're doing one more round of interviews this week (04/20). She also says "The number of seats available change on a daily basis, there are still several seats open. We will be reviewing files on hold next week and a final decision will be made at that time."-Posted 04/13.
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Congratulations Class of 2014,
I know everyone is begining to look for places to live next year, and I just wanted to let you know that I have a condo with three rooms for rent less than half a mile from school. Its a nice place (built in 2002) with a large living/dining room, kitchen (w/ dishwasher, microwave, and fridge), washer and dryer, and 2.5 baths. There is plenty storage space with 2 large downstairs closets, and exterior storage area. I have two bedrooms to rent for $450/month. This does not include utilities. Also there will be a second year living there next year so he can give you some insight, answer any questions you might have along the way and help you through your first year. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to see some pictures. Thanks and Good Luck next year.
Adam Chornoby (3rd year)
[email protected]
I know everyone is begining to look for places to live next year, and I just wanted to let you know that I have a condo with three rooms for rent less than half a mile from school. Its a nice place (built in 2002) with a large living/dining room, kitchen (w/ dishwasher, microwave, and fridge), washer and dryer, and 2.5 baths. There is plenty storage space with 2 large downstairs closets, and exterior storage area. I have two bedrooms to rent for $450/month. This does not include utilities. Also there will be a second year living there next year so he can give you some insight, answer any questions you might have along the way and help you through your first year. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to see some pictures. Thanks and Good Luck next year.
Adam Chornoby (3rd year)
[email protected]
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Hey Guys,
Didnt know where else to post. A friend of mine in my class (Class of 2010) is renting his townhouse out. Its in the best location, walking distance to school, shopping centers, everything! Its a large place and would be cheap and perfect for students. If interested here are the contact details!
Townhouse for Rent
Garrison Square Subdivision.
801 Old Peachtree Rd. Lawrenceville, 30043
·
3 bedrooms 2.5 baths, storage room and laundry room.
·
Walking distance to school, and half mile to I-85
First floor has kitchen, dining and living room with fireplace and half bathroom, sliding glass door and backyard. Upstairs floor has master-bedroom with own private bathroom and stone shower and 2 guest rooms with a hallway full bathroom. Perfect for 2 or 3 students and plenty of storage room. Private backyard. Street lights, Lighted Tennis and Basketball courts and playground. Rent $ 1,150.00/ month. Available May 1st, 2010 Email ([email protected]) or call (706-288-4450)
Didnt know where else to post. A friend of mine in my class (Class of 2010) is renting his townhouse out. Its in the best location, walking distance to school, shopping centers, everything! Its a large place and would be cheap and perfect for students. If interested here are the contact details!
Townhouse for Rent
Garrison Square Subdivision.
801 Old Peachtree Rd. Lawrenceville, 30043
·
3 bedrooms 2.5 baths, storage room and laundry room.
·
Walking distance to school, and half mile to I-85
First floor has kitchen, dining and living room with fireplace and half bathroom, sliding glass door and backyard. Upstairs floor has master-bedroom with own private bathroom and stone shower and 2 guest rooms with a hallway full bathroom. Perfect for 2 or 3 students and plenty of storage room. Private backyard. Street lights, Lighted Tennis and Basketball courts and playground. Rent $ 1,150.00/ month. Available May 1st, 2010 Email ([email protected]) or call (706-288-4450)
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Hi David,
I received the binder and I've spent quite a bit of time trying to budget my first year as a PCOM student (Class 2014). I haven't found any information in my binder or on Nucleus. How much did you pay for books the first year? I'm more of a book person than a powerpoint slide person...what is the max I could possibly pay for books first year...second year...third year...etc?
4 bedroom 3 bathroom Home for rent 0.7 Miles from GA-PCOM. There will be at least 3 rooms available next year as current students move out for 3rd yr rotations and graduation.
About the House:
The location is excellent and the drive to GA-PCOM is traffic free. Located only 0.7 miles from School the house is ideal for students who would rather not spend their time in Metro Atlanta traffic.
Prices
- 2 upstairs bedrooms with dimensions approximately 11x10 feet which share 1 full bathroom $325/mo
- Upstairs master bedroom with own bath- $375/mo
- 1 Downstairs Extra large bedroom with own bath-$ 425/mo
Benefits
- Lawn care will be included into price
- Individual Leases to GA-PCOM Students only. Meaning if another student decides to move out, there will be no obligation to cover that persons rent.
About the Owner:
I am a former GA-PCOM DO student about to start my second year of residency at UAB in Birmingham. I bought the home 5 years ago and my father manages the house because I live 3 hours away. My father will be in charge of the yard upkeep and is a real estate agent in the area. His office is only 5 minutes from the house if there is ever an emergency.
Tenants:
We are looking for preferably clean tenants who are willing to take care of the home as if it were their own. Non-smokers only. No pets (small exceptions ok if approved by the other roommates)
Contact info:
Owner Name: Brent Clower D.O.
Email: [email protected]
Contact Number: 770-402-1845
About the House:
The location is excellent and the drive to GA-PCOM is traffic free. Located only 0.7 miles from School the house is ideal for students who would rather not spend their time in Metro Atlanta traffic.
Prices
- 2 upstairs bedrooms with dimensions approximately 11x10 feet which share 1 full bathroom $325/mo
- Upstairs master bedroom with own bath- $375/mo
- 1 Downstairs Extra large bedroom with own bath-$ 425/mo
Benefits
- Lawn care will be included into price
- Individual Leases to GA-PCOM Students only. Meaning if another student decides to move out, there will be no obligation to cover that persons rent.
About the Owner:
I am a former GA-PCOM DO student about to start my second year of residency at UAB in Birmingham. I bought the home 5 years ago and my father manages the house because I live 3 hours away. My father will be in charge of the yard upkeep and is a real estate agent in the area. His office is only 5 minutes from the house if there is ever an emergency.
Tenants:
We are looking for preferably clean tenants who are willing to take care of the home as if it were their own. Non-smokers only. No pets (small exceptions ok if approved by the other roommates)
Contact info:
Owner Name: Brent Clower D.O.
Email: [email protected]
Contact Number: 770-402-1845
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Congrats!
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Grats man!
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Congrats...now you're going to be our Pharm tutor, right? see you in a few months!
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Congrats!! Did they call you or Email you to let you know you were accepted?? I'm still waiting, but waiting with faith. 
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Congratulations! We will have a diverse class. I attended the class reception in April. We now have several career changers. I'm a lawyer. There is an electrical engineer, a teacher, an accountant, a college biology professor and many others.
To those on the waitlist, keep your spirits up. Based upon past history, seats are likely to become available between now and August 11th when orientation starts.
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For those who have already received their binders--does it include your financial aid stuff (awards, COA limit, etc)? Does it also have your PCOM email and electronic login information?
I read that the binder itself is very underwhelming, so it's probably still post-acceptance jitters that has me frothing at the mouth for more info
I read that the binder itself is very underwhelming, so it's probably still post-acceptance jitters that has me frothing at the mouth for more info
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For those who have already received their binders--does it include your financial aid stuff (awards, COA limit, etc)? Does it also have your PCOM email and electronic login information?
I read that the binder itself is very underwhelming, so it's probably still post-acceptance jitters that has me frothing at the mouth for more info
It has rough figures for financial aid, but mostly just expenses, doesnt give a COA figure. It does have your nucleus login and pcom email which is cool. you should be able to access it ahead of time...your login ID is your first name and the first two letters of your last name (firstLA) and your password is the last 6 digits of your banner ID (the 9 digits given to you for logging on to check your app status I believe), there is a lot of info on Nucleus to sift through. It also has paperwork for a pre-enrollment physical, contacts for various issues, some checklists, etc.
It was exciting to get...but definitely underwhelming. All the info contained in it could be found on Nucleus or covered in an email or two.
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Excellent, thanks for giving me something to keep busy at work today!
