Philadelphia COM - Georgia (GA-PCOM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

[Macmoodk]

Waitlisted.... 3rd school.....

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[DoctressM]

Waitlisted.... 3rd school.....

At least you got interviews brah

 

[TheyCallMe]

For other wait listers, you can check the portal to confirm that the response was received. My paranoia made me check

 

[DrDawg399]

For other wait listers, you can check the portal to confirm that the response was received. My paranoia made me check

What is the portal I keep hearing about? Where could I look to find it lol


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[TheyCallMe]

What is the portal I keep hearing about? Where could I look to find it lol


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https://bannerweb.pcom.edu/pls/pcom/bwskalog.P_SelNewApp

 

[Owlsmed]

II this morning! I interview on 3/10. Can anyone give me some information on what to expect? It's my first and only interview I have this cycle so I want to be as prepared as possible. My invite says I will have to complete a 30 minute writing assignment?

 

[halfmarathoner2140]

II this morning! I interview on 3/10. Can anyone give me some information on what to expect? It's my first and only interview I have this cycle so I want to be as prepared as possible. My invite says I will have to complete a 30 minute writing assignment?

hi! I'm curious to know...when were you complete/stats?

 

[DrDawg399]

II this morning! I interview on 3/10. Can anyone give me some information on what to expect? It's my first and only interview I have this cycle so I want to be as prepared as possible. My invite says I will have to complete a 30 minute writing assignment?

Congrats for starters! Now as for the interview day itself, well it's pretty relaxed the whole day honestly. The writing assignment isn't high-stress or anything, but it's used for the interviewers to concoct some of their questions for your interview. I don't believe it'll actually hold any weight in the admissions process, but is a little guide for them as I said. The questions are mainly personal questions about you, your studying habits, what you do for stress management, etc.

The interviews themselves are a bit different from person to person. They're all 2 on 1 and closed-file (they don't know anything about you from your primary or secondary applications). Some say they don't have any questions from the writing assignment, where my interviewers almost went exclusively off what I wrote. That's not to say it was stressful, but mine was a bit more based on explaining things I may have said and putting that all into perspective as to why I'm a good fit for the school, medicine, etc. Definitely be prepared to know why you want to go into medicine and why Osteopathy specifically. Have a little bit of a grasp of patient-confidentiality and the physician-patient interaction, but you don't have to be a political genius or anything like that--one of my interviewers mentioned the landscape of healthcare possibly changing under the White House administration and finished it with "this is not about the politics.... this is all for better or for worse." Also, timing of the interview is important. I was the last interviewee of the group of 4 in which I was, which really freakin sucked cause I didn't interview until 3:15-3:30 or so. Everyone before me got upwards of 45 min to an hour for interviews with my interviewers, while they had to cap mine at 30 min flat since they were running late. I definitely had a lot more to say, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing, but rather that they have less time with me to figure up their rationale for acceptance, WL, denial, etc.

Some advice I have:
1. Send thank you notes after the interview (ask for business cards if possible).
2. They take huge pride in their anatomy lab and course, so butter them up there lol
3. Ask questions in the interview, whether about your interview itself or the school.
4. Dress nicely for sure, formal business attire.
5. The interviewers aren't the ones who made the decision to send you an II. It is actually a presiding member of the Adcom who decided to send it to you (so they reviewed your file and were interested enough to send an II). They are the ones who will also present your file to the adcom, along with what the interviewers said about you, and make a case for your admission decision.
6. Relax! It's an informative experience and a really nice school overall. The no dress-code policy will make you jump for joy, but other than that, you'll learn a whole lot about why this schools rocks.

GOOD LUCK!!



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[getfat]

Overall agreed to everything @DrDawg399 said with just one critique.

Send thank you notes after the interview (ask for business cards if possible).

Admissions during my interview group (November) gave us email of interviewers and said preference was to email them. Did not explicitly say no to letters but said if we really felt inclined we should mail them to admissions office with ATTN: Interviewer Name

 

[Owlsmed]

hi! I'm curious to know...when were you complete/stats?

Of course! I was submitted around 9/5. Got my secondary around 10/3 and submitted that a week or so later. My 3rd letter needed to be resubmitted on an official letterhead, and was not finalized until 1/30/17.. it was awful

cGPA 3.2ish sGPA 3.1ish. (I think a little higher with grade replacement but that's out the window now). MCATs 496 and 501. I worked as an ED scribe for 4 years (since my freshman year). I had over 4500 hours of clinical hours from that. Went into management, and ended up doing some cool stuff like opening up new scribe programs. From there I graduated and got a job in a genetics lab where I've been since August. Outside that I had 500 clinical and surgical shadowing before college.

 

[Owlsmed]

@DrDawg399 and @getfat Thank you both so much!!

A few more questions..

Do I ever get to meet the adcom who sent my II and is presenting my case to the committee? Was there anything looking back at the interview that you think you should have done to prepare? Or certain ways to answer questions on the writing assignment to direct the interviews to topics you know were better suited to present your case for admission?

 

[getfat]

Do I ever get to meet the adcom who sent my II and is presenting my case to the committee?

I didn't meet anybody that explicitly mentioned being the reason I got a II. The interviewers essentially are presenting your case to the committee.

Was there anything looking back at the interview that you think you should have done to prepare?

Mostly what @DrDawg399 touched on the previous post is your best way to prepare for the interview.

Definitely be prepared to know why you want to go into medicine and why Osteopathy specifically. Have a little bit of a grasp of patient-confidentiality and the physician-patient interaction, but you don't have to be a political genius or anything like that--

Or certain ways to answer questions on the writing assignment to direct the interviews to topics you know were better suited to present your case for admission?

If you are good typist under pressure (> 50WPM) you could get your entire statement on the writing prompts. Personally I just stuck to getting my basic ideas on paper and let me go into more detail about the ideas during the interviewer. Like others have mentioned the writing prompt helps drive the conversation during the interview. Several people mentioned being unable to answer all the questions but I would keep all the questions in mind for later during the actual interview.

 

[DrDawg399]

Overall agreed to everything @DrDawg399 said with just one critique.



Admissions during my interview group (November) gave us email of interviewers and said preference was to email them. Did not explicitly say no to letters but said if we really felt inclined we should mail them to admissions office with ATTN: Interviewer Name

Oh! I didn't get their emails, but that's why I asked for their business card I emailed them both before I left in my car. They said that you could write a hard-copy note to send if you want, but that email would be much easier and guaranteed to reach them sooner. Sorry for not specifying that earlier lol


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[getfat]

Oh! I didn't get their emails, but that's why I asked for their business card I emailed them both before I left in my car. They said that you could write a hard-copy note to send if you want, but that email would be much easier and guaranteed to reach them sooner. Sorry for not specifying that earlier lol


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Very cool that worked in that way for you. We just got a piece of paper with every interviewer's email and then they wrote the Admissions address on the white board.

 

[DrDawg399]

Very cool that worked in that way for you. We just got a piece of paper with every interviewer's email and then they wrote the Admissions address on the white board.

Really! Plus I like to think it helped bring a good "professional closing" to my interview, so they saw I'm with the business card game. lol unfortunately I'm still waiting for their decision to come in and I'm concerned I'm going to end up in WL limbo


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[DrDawg399]

@DrDawg399 and @getfat Thank you both so much!!

A few more questions..

Do I ever get to meet the adcom who sent my II and is presenting my case to the committee? Was there anything looking back at the interview that you think you should have done to prepare? Or certain ways to answer questions on the writing assignment to direct the interviews to topics you know were better suited to present your case for admission?

Unfortunately no, you don't get to meet the adcom. However, the good news is that they are your "advocates" for admission, thus they saw something on your applications that piqued their interest (great news). For preparation, I'd say it's hard to really know what I could've done differently. If anything, I'd say just get a night's rest, eat a good breakfast, and just be yourself in the interview, as cliche as that is. As @getfat said, just get the main ideas down for time management. I answered all of my questions, but there were some parts that needed clarification during my interview, which isn't so bad since it allowed me to elaborate on my thought process. The only thing that sucked about the writing assignment wasn't the questions themselves surprisingly, nor was it the time factor, but rather the constant sound of everyone else viciously attacking their keyboards. It made it difficult to focus for a few minutes just cause it was so loud!


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[ivcoffeestat]

Received and II yesterday morning!

 

[TheyCallMe]

Does anyone know if this school looks preferably upon letters of intent? I've done some soul searching, and this is where I really REALLY want to go to school. I'd like to send a letter around late March, but I know some schools don't like it when/if you do and even look upon it negatively. Thoughts anyone?

 

[prettyNURSEtoMD]

Keep in mind the questions change each interview. So yours could be completely different from ours.


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[prettyNURSEtoMD]

Does anyone know if this school looks preferably upon letters of intent? I've done some soul searching, and this is where I really REALLY want to go to school. I'd like to send a letter around late March, but I know some schools don't like it when/if you do and even look upon it negatively. Thoughts anyone?

Send it to Aise, she can add it to your file.


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[getfat]

Stinks that this schools doesn't have an accepted students day.

My mother and I are going mid March to look at apartments and try to get a better understanding of the area. Anybody else planning on doing something similar.

 

[MeDicinalCONnec]

Stinks that this schools doesn't have an accepted students day.

My mother and I are going mid March to look at apartments and try to get a better understanding of the area. Anybody else planning on doing something similar.

They do have like a brunch I think it has been in June in the past.

 

[getfat]

They do have like a brunch I think it has been in June in the past.

Aw darn! I wish I would've known that and I would've planned around that.

 

[DrDawg399]

Got my letter today. Waitlisted. Hopefully there's good movement on the WL


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[getfat]

Got my letter today. Waitlisted. Hopefully there's good movement on the WL


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Sorry to hear that friend! like @prettyNURSEtoMD mentioned there is a good chance of waitlist movement. Especially if you are living in GA.

 

[DrDawg399]

Sorry to hear that friend! like @prettyNURSEtoMD mentioned there is a good chance of waitlist movement. Especially if you are living in GA.

No worries! It sounded like the WL was the best case scenario for anyone that's interviewed lately. I'm remaining positive and just gonna stay as patient as humanly possible lol and hope you're right!!!! This is my top choice, as a Georgia applicant, and it'd mean the world to stay in-state.


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[cloud_wolfbane]

No worries! It sounded like the WL was the best case scenario for anyone that's interviewed lately. I'm remaining positive and just gonna stay as patient as humanly possible lol and hope you're right!!!! This is my top choice, as a Georgia applicant, and it'd mean the world to stay in-state.


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Hey you interviewed when I did on the 17th right? That was fast. I'll be biting my nails waiting for mine.

 

[DrDawg399]

Hey you interviewed when I did on the 17th right? That was fast. I'll be biting my nails waiting for mine.

Yes I did! It took a week and a half, so at least I know ahead of time that I qualify for an acceptance, even if it'll take a little longer than usual to receive it. Did you get any word?


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[cloud_wolfbane]

Yes I did! It took a week and a half, so at least I know ahead of time that I qualify for an acceptance, even if it'll take a little longer than usually to receive it. Did you get any word?


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Nothing has changed on the portal, the letter is being mailed to my mom because I move constantly for work, so I won't know until she calls me. Do you have to do anything for the waitlist?

 

[DrDawg399]

Nothing has changed on the portal, the letter is being mailed to my mom because I move constantly for work, so I won't know until she calls me. Do you have to do anything for the waitlist?

The portal won't change I believe. Mine didn't and I got the letter today (still no change). They included a form that asks if you accept the spot on the WL and mail it back to the admissions office.


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[jets46]

Wait list today. Interviewed 2/17. I guess I should have expected that considering it's this late in the cycle. Hoping for the best.

 

[cloud_wolfbane]

Waitlisted...dang. Interviewed 2/17

 

[Macmoodk]

For other wait listers, you can check the portal to confirm that the response was received. My paranoia made me check

Hello, I sent my Letter accepting my position on the waitlist last week, but my portal still hasn't changed. Would you mind telling me what your portal changed too, and who you emailed?

 

[TheyCallMe]

Hello, I sent my Letter accepting my position on the waitlist last week, but my portal still hasn't changed. Would you mind telling me what your portal changed too, and who you emailed?

I emailed my wait list confirmation to admissions and my portal changed over the weekend of receiving it. The bottom of my portal says wait list received.

 

[DrDawg399]

I emailed my wait list confirmation to admissions and my portal changed over the weekend of receiving it. The bottom of my portal says wait list received.

I just did the same thing... I had already sent my letter via snail mail, but I don't trust it as much as a verifiable email.


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[TheyCallMe]

I emailed my wait list confirmation to admissions and my portal changed over the weekend of receiving it.

I just did the same thing... I had already sent my letter via snail mail, but I don't trust it as much as a verifiable email.


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I was planning on snail mailing it, but I'm out of the country on vacation and was way too paranoid that it would never arrive.

 

[DrDawg399]

I was planning on snail mailing it, but I'm out of the country on vacation and was way too paranoid that it would never arrive.

Are we waiting till the very end of the cycle to find out if we move off the list or are there certain days we could possibly expect to hear back? Idk if you know for sure, but I just wanted to see if you know perhaps


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[getfat]

Are we waiting till the very end of the cycle to find out if we move off the list or are there certain days we could possibly expect to hear back? Idk if you know for sure, but I just wanted to see if you know perhaps


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Theres a $1500 Deposit Due April 15th so i wouldn't worry as much until then. I looked at last years thread and there is one person that heard back earlier but it was a little weird (See quote)

I apparently was waitlisted on March 22nd and then accepted on March 25th. I didn't check my mail until after I got my acceptance email so I received both letters at the same time. So I guess the waitlist is already moving?

 

[CharlieBillings]

Accepted off the waitlist today by snail mail!

 

[Macmoodk]

Accepted off the waitlist today by snail mail!

Did your portal change at all?

 

[CharlieBillings]

Did your portal change at all?

My portal did change. It now has a little option for the $250 deposit at the top, with a deadline listed.

Although by the dates it looks like it only took them 3 days to go from waitlsit -> acceptance. Interesting.

 

[Mellogang]

What're the chances of getting an interview at this point? This is my number one school, but a little worried about not hearing back from them since January. Any advice is greatly appreciated thanks!!

 

[CharlieBillings]

What're the chances of getting an interview at this point? This is my number one school, but a little worried about not hearing back from them since January. Any advice is greatly appreciated thanks!!

Do you mean you were complete in January or got some kind up update in January like "on hold"?

 

[SusieCarmichael]

Stinks that this schools doesn't have an accepted students day.

My mother and I are going mid March to look at apartments and try to get a better understanding of the area. Anybody else planning on doing something similar.

Was planning on doing this but in early May. I did see somewhere where it said that apartment searching should be done as early as possible to avoid the huge influx of people trying to secure a good apartment. Im starting to think maybe I should go a little earlier, but I did want to get as much done as possible in person and I know that many apartment complex's only know what they will have available roughly two months in advance. Are you planning to live in Suwanee or are you researching surrounding areas as well?

 

[getfat]

Im starting to think maybe I should go a little earlier, but I did want to get as much done as possible in person and I know that many apartment complex's only know what they will have available roughly two months in advance.

I am going next week with my mom to check out the area. We've got a bunch of apartments in the Suwanneee and surrounding area. Will report back what my impression was to apartments.

Are you planning to live in Suwanee or are you researching surrounding areas as well?

Would like to live within 15 miles of campus for first year. The highway access is nice but idk if my living much farther would be good. Well see i'm going to drive through the surrounding areas and see if there is anything good (Mostly Lawrenceville and SW of campus.

 

[Mellogang]

Do you mean you were complete in January or got some kind up update in January like "on hold"?

Hey! I was complete in early September. I sent them an update and Aise said she'll put it in my file. When I updated her again, she didn't respond so I'm just a little worried.

 

[SusieCarmichael]

Will report back what my impression was to apartments.

Please do.

 

[CharlieBillings]

What're the chances of getting an interview at this point? This is my number one school, but a little worried about not hearing back from them since January. Any advice is greatly appreciated thanks!!

I wouldn't be expecting an II at this point then.

 

[Mellogang]

I wouldn't be expecting an II at this point then.

Dang really? It's weird because I got an interview at PCOM so I was really hoping to get one here too.

 

[cloud_wolfbane]

They have two interview dates left for the year as far as I know, one on March 10th and then on March 24th, so it isn't impossible. I know when I got my invite in Feb, I only had 4 days until the interview, so they tend to give you really short notice.