Philadelphia COM - Georgia (GA-PCOM) Discussion Thread 2012 - 2013

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sagbutt said:
Not as of yet. I live less than a mile from PCOM for 14 years or so, so I'm familiar with the area.
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What's the traffic situation between PCOM and Alpharetta during the day? Is the daily commute doable?
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DrBumblebee said:
What's the traffic situation between PCOM and Alpharetta during the day? Is the daily commute doable?
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It's not as bad as it used to be since the improved McGinnis Ferry. Certainly going into Suwanee from Alpharetta in the morning is not as bad as the other way around, that being said, it is still about 20-30 minutes from my house (1 block from PCOM) to Emory Eastside at the morning rushhour. Keep in mind though, Johns Creek/Alpharetta area will be more expensive to live in and more affordable accommodations on medical student budgets are most likely to be found on the Suwanee/ Duluth side of the river. Overall, transit time vs. expense tends to be better on the Gwinnett side of the river.
 
After mailing in the forms and the $250 deposit, did you guys receive an email specifically stating that PCOM has received them? I was emailed a welcome message a day after I mailed them in, but it didn't say whether or not they've received them.
 
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uabSC said:
After mailing in the forms and the $250 deposit, did you guys receive an email specifically stating that PCOM has received them? I was emailed a welcome message a day after I mailed them in, but it didn't say whether or not they've received them.
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Yeah, they sent me a confirmation email about five days after I mailed my deposit just telling me they received it. It also stated the other items needed before matriculation.
 
BabyBrink said:
Yeah, they sent me a confirmation email about five days after I mailed my deposit just telling me they received it. It also stated the other items needed before matriculation.
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Thanks!
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Edit
Received the email :)
 
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NinjaStars said:
Hi everyone- Hoping to get some advice from you all. I applied to GA-PCOM in the fall, got a secondary request, filled that out and was complete in late December. I haven't heard anything back about an interview and am getting really anxious. I interviewed at LECOM and think it went well, but GA-PCOM is my first choice.

Do you think I should follow up with the school? If so, how? I emailed a few weeks ago but did not get a response.

My stats if they are helpful:
MCAT: 32 (11 physics/11 verbal/10 biology)
GPA: 3.5
I live in Seattle but my wife and I plan to stay in Georgia once I'm done because of family in the area.

Thanks for your help!
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Maybe you can email them again? Or you can try calling the admissions office. It's that time of the year when they're pretty busy.
 
Going to look at apartments in the area this weekend, if anybody has any questions I can maybe answer them after tomorrow and maybe send a picture or two.

What is everybody planning on doing- roommate or no roommate?


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Poliscidoc said:
Going to look at apartments in the area this weekend, if anybody has any questions I can maybe answer them after tomorrow and maybe send a picture or two.

What is everybody planning on doing- roommate or no roommate?


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I'm looking for roommates; it's a personal choice and I feel it's the best option for me. Once you look at the apartments, maybe you could just give us your impression about renting an apartment vs. sharing a rented home? I think that would be pretty beneficial.
 
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Do any current students know any details about lecture attendance policy? Is lecture "mandatory" or mandatory? I ask because somethings I learn better by locking myself in a closet, other things I learn best in a group setting or by having an expert explain it to me. Is there an element of freedom or is it strict?
 
shibby1111 said:
Do any current students know any details about lecture attendance policy? Is lecture "mandatory" or mandatory? I ask because somethings I learn better by locking myself in a closet, other things I learn best in a group setting or by having an expert explain it to me. Is there an element of freedom or is it strict?
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The policy that was instituted this year is that all guest lectures are mandatory, you are allowed 5 unexcused absences per course. You can be excused for things like illness and doctor's appointments. I'm not sure if this attendance policy will change next year.

Our guest lectures are clinicians from the area and they are some of the best lectures I've had while here. Most of them are preceptors for our 3rd/4th year rotations.
 
swimchick said:
The policy that was instituted this year is that all guest lectures are mandatory, you are allowed 5 unexcused absences per course. You can be excused for things like illness and doctor's appointments. I'm not sure if this attendance policy will change next year.

Our guest lectures are clinicians from the area and they are some of the best lectures I've had while here. Most of them are preceptors for our 3rd/4th year rotations.
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I assume the 5 absences apply to lectures, not 5 absences for guest lectures. How do you and other students like the attendance policy. Do you feel it is necessary? What are some things better learned in lecture versus independent study? Thanks.
 
shibby1111 said:
I assume the 5 absences apply to lectures, not 5 absences for guest lectures. How do you and other students like the attendance policy. Do you feel it is necessary? What are some things better learned in lecture versus independent study? Thanks.
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The attendance issue has been a hot topic this year. I think it was instituted mainly to ensure we'd have good turnout at the lectures. Many students in my class are strongly opposed to it while others, like myself, don't care. I learn best by going to class, so I'll be there regardless of any attendance policy. Sometimes the lectures are scheduled at bad times. For instance, we have guest lectures scheduled for Wednesday morning and we have an exam that afternoon.

As for what is learned better in lecture vs independent study, I can't answer that. What works for me may not work for you. For instance, the reason I enjoy the clinical lectures is that the physician presents real cases from their practice and we work through them as a class.
 
How many students are estimated to matriculate this year?
 
Ziggstar said:
How many students are estimated to matriculate this year?
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I'm not sure what the target enrollment is this year, but my class was aiming for 135 and I believe the c/o 2016 was the same. We ended up starting with around 144 students because of repeats from the class ahead and we're at 134 now.
 
swimchick said:
I'm not sure what the target enrollment is this year, but my class was aiming for 135 and I believe the c/o 2016 was the same. We ended up starting with around 144 students because of repeats from the class ahead and we're at 134 now.
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OK thanks, anxious to get the letter in the mail. 1-2 more days left:D
 
Got the letter today, they said my decision has been delayed. Anyone have any information on this process? thanks
 
which hotels have shuttles to the school? Or is it possible just to drive there?
 
Interviewed here yesterday. Loved the school, facutly and students. Definitely confirmed it as my top choice. Waiting for some good news soon!
Does anyone know how soon their committee meets/how soon they let applicants know of their decision?
 
ezio90 said:
Interviewed here yesterday. Loved the school, facutly and students. Definitely confirmed it as my top choice. Waiting for some good news soon!
Does anyone know how soon their committee meets/how soon they let applicants know of their decision?
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They meet on Thursday I believe, should know something in 2-3 weeks.
 
does anyone know which books we need? what the curriculum is? how much time spent on OMM?
 
I applied really late. Do you think I might get an interview? My entire packet was completed on Feb 12th. I have a 3.95/28M with decent ECs. I live 2 hours away from Atlanta (in TN).
 
When your decision had been delayed post interview, what is the process after that?
 
Yay! I have an interview on March 1. Is there anyone else out there or am I alone?
 
shibby1111 said:
does anyone know which books we need? what the curriculum is? how much time spent on OMM?
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Assuming there are no major curriculum changes for the 2013-2014 year, your first year will have the following:

1st term: Structural Principles of Osteopathic Medicine (gross anatomy, histology, radiology, embryology and a little bit of physiology), Primary Care Skills I, OMM I, Preventative and Community Based Medicine I

2nd term: Cellular and Molecular Basis of Medicine (micro, path, biochem, genetics, cell bio, pharm, radiology), PCS II, OMM II, PCBM II

3rd term: Basic and Clinical Neuroscience (this is your introduction/transition to the systems-based curriculum of 2nd year, so you'll do micro, path, pharm and anatomy as it relates to the nervous system), PCS III, OMM III, PCBM III

OMM has 1-2 hours of lecture each week as well as a 1.5 hour lab. The time you spend on it depends on you. Some people blow it off until the week of a written exam or practical while some are diligent about keeping up with it. We do have a quiz in lab from the previous week's material, so that helps keep most people on top of things.
 
swimchick said:
Assuming there are no major curriculum changes for the 2013-2014 year, your first year will have the following:

1st term: Structural Principles of Osteopathic Medicine (gross anatomy, histology, radiology, embryology and a little bit of physiology), Primary Care Skills I, OMM I, Preventative and Community Based Medicine I

2nd term: Cellular and Molecular Basis of Medicine (micro, path, biochem, genetics, cell bio, pharm, radiology), PCS II, OMM II, PCBM II

3rd term: Basic and Clinical Neuroscience (this is your introduction/transition to the systems-based curriculum of 2nd year, so you'll do micro, path, pharm and anatomy as it relates to the nervous system), PCS III, OMM III, PCBM III

OMM has 1-2 hours of lecture each week as well as a 1.5 hour lab. The time you spend on it depends on you. Some people blow it off until the week of a written exam or practical while some are diligent about keeping up with it. We do have a quiz in lab from the previous week's material, so that helps keep most people on top of things.
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Super helpful. If it's not too much trouble, could you please elaborate on the second year curriculum a bit as well please? Thanks!
EDIT: Nevermind, the second year curriculum is kind of self explanatory haha.
 
The tour here was very short. Is there any school affiliated housing? Or at least an apartment complex heavily populated by med students?
 
Jwalker said:
The tour here was very short. Is there any school affiliated housing? Or at least an apartment complex heavily populated by med students?
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There is no school-affiliated housing. A lot of students (myself included) live at 5375 Sugarloaf. A few of my friends lived at AMLI McGinnis Ferry.

My apartment complex discounts rent 10% for PCOM students. Here are some other options: http://www.mygapcom.com/?page_id=4514
 
swimchick said:
There is no school-affiliated housing. A lot of students (myself included) live at 5375 Sugarloaf. A few of my friends lived at AMLI McGinnis Ferry.

My apartment complex discounts rent 10% for PCOM students. Here are some other options: http://www.mygapcom.com/?page_id=4514
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I'm looking into living at 5375 Sugarloaf next year (my first year at PCOM), would you recommend it?
 
swimchick said:
There is no school-affiliated housing. A lot of students (myself included) live at 5375 Sugarloaf. A few of my friends lived at AMLI McGinnis Ferry.

My apartment complex discounts rent 10% for PCOM students. Here are some other options: http://www.mygapcom.com/?page_id=4514
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Do they (bolded) also have any discounts for PCOM students? How about the community at and the daily commute to/from?
 
dd510 said:
I'm looking into living at 5375 Sugarloaf next year (my first year at PCOM), would you recommend it?
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It's been a nice place to live. I think it's an expensive place to live if you aren't going to have a roommate. My rent for a 2 bed/2 bath is $998 (w/ discount) + $60/month for water. Apparently they're also now charging $30/month to rent a washer and dryer, but I don't pay that because they weren't charging when my roommate and I moved in and I refused to renew our lease if they added that to our rent. The office staff is pleasant to work with and they were very helpful when I was making arrangements to live there (tons of fun when you live 500 miles from the area :) )

The best thing about the place is the location. You have quick and easy access to I-85 and about a 10 minute drive to school. Publix, Kroger, CVS and Walgreens are about 5-10 minutes from the complex.


DrBumblebee said:
Do they (bolded) also have any discounts for PCOM students? How about the community at and the daily commute to/from?
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I don't know anything about the complex, so I can't answer those questions for you. Sorry.
 
swimchick said:
It's been a nice place to live. I think it's an expensive place to live if you aren't going to have a roommate. My rent for a 2 bed/2 bath is $998 (w/ discount) + $60/month for water. Apparently they're also now charging $30/month to rent a washer and dryer, but I don't pay that because they weren't charging when my roommate and I moved in and I refused to renew our lease if they added that to our rent. The office staff is pleasant to work with and they were very helpful when I was making arrangements to live there (tons of fun when you live 500 miles from the area :) )

The best thing about the place is the location. You have quick and easy access to I-85 and about a 10 minute drive to school. Publix, Kroger, CVS and Walgreens are about 5-10 minutes from the complex.




I don't know anything about the complex, so I can't answer those questions for you. Sorry.
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Do you know of any places that aren't expensive to live alone? It seems like it's going to be about $800/month to live alone in the area.
 
dd510 said:
Do you know of any places that aren't expensive to live alone? It seems like it's going to be about $800/month to live alone in the area.
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If you search using ForRent.com, you might find places for about that price or less for 2+2 in Johns Creek and Alpharetta. They're about 15 miles to school, though (probably 20-30 minutes drive in rush hours, idk.) Rental prices always go higher around colleges, and I expect a lot of noise in those places, too. So, I'd prefer more residential places, instead.
 
I am looking to join the fb group as well. I would really appreciate it if anyone could msg me the link. Thank you in advance! :)
 
DrBumblebee said:
If you search using ForRent.com, you might find places for about that price or less for 2+2 in Johns Creek and Alpharetta. They're about 15 miles to school, though (probably 20-30 minutes drive in rush hours, idk.) Rental prices always go higher around colleges, and I expect a lot of noise in those places, too. So, I'd prefer more residential places, instead.
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Not really a college town is it?


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DrBumblebee said:
Idk, but 5375 Sugarloaf is just across the Gwinnett Technical College.
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It is, but the Lawrenceville/Suwanee/Duluth area isn't what I would consider a college town :)

My apartment building is set back pretty far from Sugarloaf Parkway, so noise hasn't been an issue for me.
 
Anyone get an updated decision letter after getting a "delayed decision" letter?
 
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