PCOM Students: I Would Like To Talk To You!!!

[Dr JPH]

Hi all. I thank you for taking the time to read this post.

I am a 3rd year undergraduate at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (right down the road)...some of you may know me from my posts on this board.

PCOM is one of my top choices and I will be applying there at the end of the academic year.

I have visited many times and I love the school. I have read about interviews from www.interviewfeedback.com, I have spoken with many students (I have two friends who went there and another who recently interviewed), and I have met with some faculty there.

I guess, all in all, I am excited about applying to PCOM and about meeting more people at the school.

I have a pre-application interview coming up next week and would like some advice on things...what to bring, what to talk about, what to show on my resume, etc.

I am passionate about the osteopathic philosophies and fully understand what I may be getting in to.

I want to become a great physician and I feel that PCOM offers me the best opportunity to do so.

If any of you have advice for me, please contact me...that would be great! Posting here or emails are both good.

I have met some of your classmates (and maybe even you!) and found the camraderie amazing. You are all very nice and I would like to follow in my friends footsteps at PCOM.

Thank you very much!


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Joshua Paul Hazelton, CNA, EMT-B
[email protected]
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (2002)
"D.O. Wannabe"

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[jennyd]

Joshua,
Your enthusiasm is wonderful! I apologize if this isn't posted before you have your interview. Just curious - were you referring to your pre-med committee interview or an interview at PCOM?
I am in my second year at PCOM now and can honestly say that it is a great school and curriculum - I have no regrets.
Interview: As far as suggestions about the interview - be yourself! The one thing that I remember the most about the interview is how comfortable they make you feel.
The first question they asked was about my undergrad school and how well I liked it. It was so nice to have a question I could answer easily! (I had another interview at a different school where the first question was, "So...tell us about yourself." - Yaaaa! What do you say?)
The interview length means nothing - remember that! My interview was short while another applicant that day had a long interview - we both got in.
Extra tidbit - if you did undergrad research or published, take a copy to the interview with you and bring it up in one of your answers. The forethought and ability to give it to them is a good bonus. But don't stress - If you don't have something - it doesn't hurt you!
What to wear - this conflicts depending on who you talk to. My personal opinion is that you can't go wrong with a suit and tie. If you are going to wear slacks and a nice shirt and tie - make sure you look really put together. (Hint - suit and tie)
What to ask - this depends on what you know and don't know about the school. You will be given a tour by a current student - they do not give any feedback to the admissions office on you so you can ask pretty much whatever you want. You will have the option of sitting in on classes if you want to - it happens almost every day. Here are some topics that I was curious about when I went for my interview:
- What is the setup of the curriculum? (We go in trimesters - first trimester is anatomy and histo; second is biochem, immunology, basic pathology, basic pharm; third trimester is microbiology, cardiology (includes phys, path, pharm for cardio), pulm (same) - second year is all systems - and of course OPP and PCS are constant throughout the two years)
- What about scribe service? - we have a scribe service - you pay dues in the beginning of the year and in return receive scribes for every lecture (very helpful!)
- Are students competitive? - Not at all - I was really shocked at how easy going and helpful everyone is with information. It is not a problem - in fact if you have trouble with classes, you can get a student tutor to help out or you can go the profs themselves - they are all very helpful.
- Financial aid? - Everyone has loans - they will tell you all about it on interview day
- Safety - Some people think that because we are based in Philly that this is an issue. Honestly, it really is not - we have a great campus with security always patrolling the parking garage and parking lot down the street. It is actually one of the nicest med school campuses I have seen.
I hope this helps a bit - I am not sure if I covered what you wanted to know - just ask if you have questions or just email me. I truly wish you the best of luck with applications and interviews. Just remember - be yourself! Jen

 

[jennyd]

Joshua, I forgot to put in my email (just in case) - [email protected]. Jen