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

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WorldChanger36 said:
Withdrawing... I was told last week that they will not be able to review my app until I send in grades in December. Oh well ...

They are not the only ones damn UF won't reveiw my app until after I complete the program... a bit late there...
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Sorry to hear that man. We wish you the best of luck with your other schools. Hang in there!
 
farnell said:
For those of you who are interviewing, could tell us if the "Status" column on your decision page has anything written for it? I have dates for when my items were received, but the status column has been blank for some time.
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My status column hasn't changed. I just have the received date.
 
farnell said:
For those of you who are interviewing, could tell us if the "Status" column on your decision page has anything written for it? I have dates for when my items were received, but the status column has been blank for some time.
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I interviewed last week, and my "status" column didn't change. In fact, that column will never be filled.
 
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1) Interviews have definitely already started....or do you want to second-guess another member of the school?

2) He wasn't demanding any respect. The respect should have already been there since he's taking his time to help you guys out. Why would Rollo lie about interview invites?

3) Your 'research-oriented' assumptions are off as well as the Philly and Georgia campuses don't coordinate their intervieww; they send invites out separately--fact.

4) For the record, I have friends who act as student interviewers who hold a reasonable amount of clout in the interview process. If I ever found out your identity I would have zero qualms telling them to be on the watch for you.

Unbelievable that a pre-med gives **** to people who are students at the school they're hoping to get an interview invite from who are just trying to help them.
 
TallScrubs said:
1) Interviews have definitely already started....or do you want to second-guess another member of the school?

2) He wasn't demanding any respect. The respect should have already been there since he's taking his time to help you guys out. Why would Rollo lie about interview invites?

3) Your 'research-oriented' assumptions are off as well as the Philly and Georgia campuses don't coordinate their intervieww; they send invites out separately--fact.

4) For the record, I have friends who act as student interviewers who hold a reasonable amount of clout in the interview process. If I ever found out your identity I would have zero qualms telling them to be on the watch for you.

Unbelievable that a pre-med gives **** to people who are students at the school they're hoping to get an interview invite from who are just trying to help them.
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Who are you talking to? Wrong thread? 😕
 
Pcom is a well known school. The wait is definitely worth it.
 
qwerty2012 said:
checking up on stats, i am bit surprised that the class stats aren't higher considering this is one of more well known DO school. But 274 is still a pretty big class.
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Kinda confused by what you mean by class stats not being higher? Class size not being bigger? I think the only other school that has a larger class size is LECOM-E and to be honest smaller class size often has better benefits. I don't really think you can correlate the reputation of a school to its class size. I do think that because LECOM takes so many students, they can keep costs down (among other reasons). Also, I think a lot of schools need to start cutting back on the amount of students in the class considering there is going to be a lack of residency spots available for students starting with the 2015 graduating classes.

If you meant admission stats not being higher (MCAT/Grades), I think PCOM is a great example of a school who does not just focus on grades and exam scores, but look for well rounded students. I can tell you that I personally had a 24 MCAT, which was seriously disappointing, but have over a 92 average from my first two years, scored above average on my first step, honors in rotations, and have received a lot of positive feedback from attendings about PCOM students in general. We definitely have a great reputation so don't be too swayed about our "pre-med" class stats.

Hope my assumption wasn't way off from your point! 🙂

Deutsch Arzt said:
Wow, plus they said "268 first-time students." That means they must've admitted a several returning students that had to remediate.
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I don't know if you meant PCOM returning students or students in general, but just replying so others don't get the idea that PCOM has a lot of students having to remediate a year.I don't think they mean "PCOM" first time students, but first time medical students in general. I only know of one person who had to remediate from my class and they had some serious extenuating circumstances. Many med schools make it really hard to fail out. PCOM is changing their remediation policy, as you use to be able to remediate classes failed in the summer time, and they have removed this as an option.
 
Just wanted to wish everyone good luck and share some stats in case they haven't been posted yet. I'm not sure if acceptance stats are public info, but I recall them saying at our August orientation:
7,000+ applications last year
600 or 700 interviewed
~400 accepted
268 enrolled
If anyone thinks this is wrong please chime in as the volume of stuff I've learned since orientation may have forced the correct values out of my head.

Really liking the school so far. Teachers are good for the most part. While it's definitely as hard or harder than that I imagined, I'm not pulling my hair out yet (we'll see if that sticks). Also, the student body is made up of a great group of people. The amount of collaboration is incredible and I can't imagine you would find this at most other schools. I was accepted here and NYCOM and chose PCOM because of the incredibly positive reviews that I received from everyone I talked to before enrolling. I'm glad I listened to those people.
 
Lewist02 said:
. . .
I
I don't know if you meant PCOM returning students or students in general, but just replying so others don't get the idea that PCOM has a lot of students having to remediate a year.I don't think they mean "PCOM" first time students, but first time medical students in general. I only know of one person who had to remediate from my class and they had some serious extenuating circumstances. Many med schools make it really hard to fail out. PCOM is changing their remediation policy, as you use to be able to remediate classes failed in the summer time, and they have removed this as an option.
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It was more of a general, stream-of-consciousness post. I wasn't sure if they were PCOM or transfer students. It was an ambiguously written statement, to say the least. But it doesn't affect my view of the awesomeness that is PCOM. 🙂

TallScrubs said:
I think my class has 4 or 5 people remediate.
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Interesting.
ride85 said:
Just wanted to wish everyone good luck and share some stats in case they haven't been posted yet. I'm not sure if acceptance stats are public info, but I recall them saying at our August orientation:
7,000+ applications last year
600 or 700 interviewed
~400 accepted
268 enrolled
If anyone thinks this is wrong please chime in as the volume of stuff I've learned since orientation may have forced the correct values out of my head.

Really liking the school so far. Teachers are good for the most part. While it's definitely as hard or harder than that I imagined, I'm not pulling my hair out yet (we'll see if that sticks). Also, the student body is made up of a great group of people. The amount of collaboration is incredible and I can't imagine you would find this at most other schools. I was accepted here and NYCOM and chose PCOM because of the incredibly positive reviews that I received from everyone I talked to before enrolling. I'm glad I listened to those people.
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Cool beans, thanks for the stats.


Now that all three of you current students have showed your presence, would you all mind commenting on what you love and want to see improved about the school? I'm also very interested in learning about the quality of the anatomy lab and how many students are assigned to each cadaver. Lastly, would anyone mind commenting on the rotations (ease of landing your preferred rotations and overall satisfaction/exposure).

Lots of questions, I know. But it's worth it to ask. 🙂 Good luck and congrats on getting in ladies and/or gentlemen!
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
Now that all three of you current students have showed your presence, would you all mind commenting on what you love and want to see improved about the school? I'm also very interested in learning about the quality of the anatomy lab and how many students are assigned to each cadaver. Lastly, would anyone mind commenting on the rotations (ease of landing your preferred rotations and overall satisfaction/exposure).

Lots of questions, I know. But it's worth it to ask. 🙂 Good luck and congrats on getting in ladies and/or gentlemen!
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Again, I like the profs and my fellow students. Lots of resources available to students such as professional note taking, videos of all lectures, ect in addition to IM sports and tons of clubs that people are really involved in. As far as being improved, i guess there are a few profs i'd remove from lecture duty if I was in charge, and to be honest the class size is pretty large. Not big problems, but I guess those would be my only complaints.
As far as lab goes, we are 6 to a cadaver. It is assigned randomly. Anatomy lab is fairly well organized and easy to access. Can't imagine there's a huge amount of variation in anatomy labs between med schools as long as they actually have real cadavers and not "e-dissections" which I feel would be less helpful. Also, you probably wouldn't want much more than 6 people to a cadaver. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks! It does help. You'de be surprised at the variation in anatomy labs. Some schools' labs are from the stone ages and offensively ventilated, making for a rather fetid environment. I've also heard of as many as 10 students per cadaver; no thanks. I prefer 4, but 6 is manageable.

Again, thanks for the input. I'd still like to hear others' comments, so don't hold back! 🙂
 
Lewist02 said:
If you meant admission stats not being higher (MCAT/Grades), I think PCOM is a great example of a school who does not just focus on grades and exam scores, but look for well rounded students. I can tell you that I personally had a 24 MCAT, which was seriously disappointing, but have over a 92 average from my first two years, scored above average on my first step, honors in rotations, and have received a lot of positive feedback from attendings about PCOM students in general. We definitely have a great reputation so don't be too swayed about our "pre-med" class stats.
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That is good to know, some schools want stats only and use that looking at students "holistically" as a cover up 😡.
ha ha, maybe just exaggerating a little
 
qwerty2012 said:
That is good to know, some schools want stats only and use that looking at students "holistically" as a cover up 😡.
ha ha, maybe just exaggerating a little
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You're not exaggerating at all. I can think of two such schools off the top of my head. They may look holisitically after you meet some arbitrary MCAT/GPA score, but only then. Grrr.
 
Lewist02 said:
Kinda confused by what you mean by class stats not being higher? Class size not being bigger? I think the only other school that has a larger class size is LECOM-E and to be honest smaller class size often has better benefits. I don't really think you can correlate the reputation of a school to its class size. I do think that because LECOM takes so many students, they can keep costs down (among other reasons). Also, I think a lot of schools need to start cutting back on the amount of students in the class considering there is going to be a lack of residency spots available for students starting with the 2015 graduating classes.

If you meant admission stats not being higher (MCAT/Grades), I think PCOM is a great example of a school who does not just focus on grades and exam scores, but look for well rounded students. I can tell you that I personally had a 24 MCAT, which was seriously disappointing, but have over a 92 average from my first two years, scored above average on my first step, honors in rotations, and have received a lot of positive feedback from attendings about PCOM students in general. We definitely have a great reputation so don't be too swayed about our "pre-med" class stats.

Hope my assumption wasn't way off from your point! 🙂



I don't know if you meant PCOM returning students or students in general, but just replying so others don't get the idea that PCOM has a lot of students having to remediate a year.I don't think they mean "PCOM" first time students, but first time medical students in general. I only know of one person who had to remediate from my class and they had some serious extenuating circumstances. Many med schools make it really hard to fail out. PCOM is changing their remediation policy, as you use to be able to remediate classes failed in the summer time, and they have removed this as an option.
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But yet, our match list is lackluster every year compared to other schools. I understand it is student based, but more students would go into competitive specialties if they were more prepared. To be honest, the curriculum has to be changed (and I think they're working on it) because we do awfully poor compared to most other osteopathic schools in terms of first time pass rates for COMLEX I.

I think we're told constantly, "Well, you're from PCOM so you'll do OK." This is no longer as true as it once was. The cream of the crop usually gets the best placement, programs, etc.

Obviously there is variation, but for one of the oldest osteopathic schools our academics are subpar compared to many other schools.
 
Bacchus said:
But yet, our match list is lackluster every year compared to other schools. I understand it is student based, but more students would go into competitive specialties if they were more prepared. To be honest, the curriculum has to be changed (and I think they're working on it) because we do awfully poor compared to most other osteopathic schools in terms of first time pass rates for COMLEX I.

I think we're told constantly, "Well, you're from PCOM so you'll do OK." This is no longer as true as it once was. The cream of the crop usually gets the best placement, programs, etc.

Obviously there is variation, but for one of the oldest osteopathic schools our academics are subpar compared to many other schools.
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Second this. I bitch about the curriculum with my friends all the time. Our matches have been lackluster, and the curriculum is to blame. M2T3 is the biggest waste of time in the entire world. I plan on doing well on boards despite the curriculum. Luckily for the up and comers, the curriculum is changing and it will be in good hands--I'm fully confident they will turn it around because the new people in charge know what they're doing.

Now with that said, I have zero regrets coming here as I know that our clinical education is pretty damn good and will get me ready for residency. Feel free to PM if you have specific questions.
 
1) OMM. OPP has been taught by the brothers Nicholai for seemingly thousands of years. They make blanket statements about how OPP taught at other schools is wrong with nothing to back it up. The department has some really bright professors who know how to teach practical OPP and understand its role. For me, the 'fun' of OMM/OPP was sucked out by those in charge and it doesn't have to be that way.

2) We run a systems curriculum which everybody pretty much universally loves. One of the big problems is that during your third term (we do trimesters) of second year, there are some really, really dumb classes where it seems like the only goal is to prevent us from studying for boards.

We have many redundant lectures (i.e. we had 5 acid/base lectures). In some blocks, the course directors would all but give us the answers to their questions. Awesome, right? Not really. It's cool getting their questions right but, as a result, I don't know renal as well as I should.

We have some professors who are just goddamn outdated. One of our GI professors is a really great guy but he hasn't practiced GI in some time and the treatments he talks about are out of date. How do I know? I know because younger docs come in and blast those treatments.


With all of that said, I know the direction they are taking the school after this year and it is very promising. They are going to trim a significant amount of the fat and they're utilizing a few new programs that my class was the pilot class for; these programs will be great once they're tweaked a little bit. Are there things about the curriculum that I really, truly hate? Yeah, but I have no doubt that I'll learn what I need to learn and get to where I want to be.
 
batndz said:
I'm from maryland
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Hey pal, I am from Maryland too. I am from Baltimore. Congrats on your interview. 🙂

For some reason, PCOM did not receive my MCAT scores and I had to send in my score report through email. I checked today and thank god I did. The mcat scores were not listed as received. I sent another request to release my MCAT scores to AACOMAS today. It is weird though that my application for other DO schools are complete but PCOM isn't. Lake Erie COM sent me an interview invite already so my scores were on AACOMAS.

Weird

Sent from my DROID3 using SDN Mobile
 
sjagan1 said:
Hey pal, I am from Maryland too. I am from Baltimore. Congrats on your interview. 🙂

For some reason, PCOM did not receive my MCAT scores and I had to send in my score report through email. I checked today and thank god I did. The mcat scores were not listed as received. I sent another request to release my MCAT scores to AACOMAS today. It is weird though that my application for other DO schools are complete but PCOM isn't. Lake Erie COM sent me an interview invite already so my scores were on AACOMAS.

Weird

Sent from my DROID3 using SDN Mobile
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Thanks 😀

I had the same problem with PCOM. They didn't get my MCAT scores until i called them to ask about why the received box wasnt checked on the status page. I told them to check with AACOMAS again because all the other DO schools received it. It's a good thing i called them or else i would of just assumed they received it.
 
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I want to apply to PCOM but don't have a letter of recommendation from a doctor. It says that it is strongly recommended. Has any current students gotten in without having a letter from a doctor?

I'm trying to shadow but all the doctors I contacted have said no so far.
 
I just wanted to say regarding my above post, that although it was tough, it's really true. With that said though,

Curriculum change is happening like TallScrubs said. I worked with one of the people heading the reform for a month while on rotations. I trust him, I trust his vision (and the others working with him). Things will be getting better.
 
Don't worry too much about it, my friend did not have a DO letter and she got numerous do interviews.

Sent from my DROID3 using SDN Mobile
 
i want an interviewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!! :xf:
 
qwerty2012 said:
That is good to know, some schools want stats only and use that looking at students "holistically" as a cover up 😡.
ha ha, maybe just exaggerating a little
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I really believe you...
 
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ModernAlchemist said:
I have a semi-specific question that I hope someone can answer. I heard PCOM screens out people with low scores in a given section of the MCAT. I have a 6 VR from my most recent test and a 9 from a test in 2011. I'm worried they're going to take my more recent score, which is higher, and then screen me out because of the 6.

Does anyone have any insight into something like this?
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Hi I did a post bacc program at PCOM. They like students to have 8 in each sections. BUT, if you have an uneven 30 and you average the 30 by 3 (i.e. the 3 sections), then you have 10's in each section. So look at average score on your ACCOMAS application and if it is an 8 or above you should be good. Hope this helped.
 
Bacchus said:
But yet, our match list is lackluster every year compared to other schools. I understand it is student based, but more students would go into competitive specialties if they were more prepared. To be honest, the curriculum has to be changed (and I think they're working on it) because we do awfully poor compared to most other osteopathic schools in terms of first time pass rates for COMLEX I.

I think we're told constantly, "Well, you're from PCOM so you'll do OK." This is no longer as true as it once was. The cream of the crop usually gets the best placement, programs, etc.

Obviously there is variation, but for one of the oldest osteopathic schools our academics are subpar compared to many other schools.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree with this. There are some systems that are very weak in terms of board prep and clinical applications, and I think with KFD and others implementing a new structure and revising the weaknesses, there will be a lot of improvement. There already has been for the class of 2015. I do wish it had been there from the beginning of first year.

But my advice to new students at any program is that despite what flaws your curriculum may have, it is inevitably up to you to make the most of your education. Be proactive on shadowing, research opportunities, etc. If professors are giving you the questions and answers to their portion of the exam because they want you to actively listen to what they have to say, don't sell your self short by not reviewing all of the material or not finding a text that has the information. Be careful when looking at pass rates for boards, because some schools screen who can and can't take the exam and/or provide a COMSAE a couple months before which may deter students who could have failed from taking it (I don't necessarily think that this is a bad thing!). I do think PCOM's pass rate in the past has reflected flaws in the curriculum, but I can tell you that only you can ultimately control your boards score. Be careful with match lists, because ultimately it is student dependent on which programs they decide to apply for and how they rank their programs. But just because it is student dependent doesn't mean it is not a weak match list. In the end, you are responsible for yourself. I want my peers to do well, but to be honest I don't particularly care where everyone else matches, I care where I will match. It is nice to see students landing competitive programs because it gives you insight that your institution may be preparing you well.

I think you have to look at a program as a whole. Where do you feel the most comfortable? Are you a student that needs a little more direction? Because if you are, you may want to stay away from curriculums that are weaker or schools with lower pass rates, or new programs. If you function pretty independent, you will be fine wherever you go if you work at it. PCOM does have a great reputation and I still do think that it is a benefit. I have heard from multiple attendings how impressed they are with our students and that we have strong clinical skills and a lot of confidence (most of them MDs). Reputation will not rise you above weak grades, weak board scores, or a weak performance, but I do think it is an asset in general.

Maybe i'm just too optimistic, but I would choose PCOM a second time.

and btw - I think the biggest flaw at PCOM is the lack of direction and organization during 3rd and 4th year with rotations and residency apps, but again, be proactive and you can turn it into a better experience. I've heard a lot of horror stories from a lot of other schools in the area and a few other DO schools as well, so I'm not sure that this is just a PCOM thing. I have definitely complained a lot since last January about rotation related issues. Oh - the financial aid department also tends to be a little disorganized, so make sure you are on top of everything and make sure all forms are received.
 
Anybody have any input about the interviews this cycle? Any specific questions they asked? Format? Intense? Conversational?
 
Completed in early September! Still waiting for II. Come on PCOM give me love. GOOD LUCK to all of us. PCOM is worth the wait. Plus I like to stay in East coast too
 
Got an interview!!! Oct 19th...anyone else?

Texas Girl
 
I've sent PCOM two emails about fee waivers and have not gotten a single reply. I'm done with all of my secondaries and i'm just waiting to see if certain schools accept fee waivers and they are taking a really long time to reply.
 
Anyone wanna split a hotel for Oct 19th interview
 
Hey guys,
so I am a Canadian and I originally applies to like 11 D.O schools. my stats are sGPA 3.60 cGPA 3.66 and MCAT:29 (V8/P9/B12).
But Im now only interested on PCOM! that would be my absolute absolute number 1 choice because I have a sibling attending SALUS! (we would be literally 20 mins away)
however I have heard that PCOM is not specifically Canadian friendly and I am already having trouble getting a letter form an academic advisor.... I have not received the secondary yet ( I was verifyed 2 days ago) but I have received the secondary form the Georgia Campus ( which I really dont want to fill out because I dont really want to go there..
But I dont know If I have a decent shot at PCOM.

Also I would consider the Georgia campus if I was able to transfer to Phili the next year.. is that a possibility?

I just wanted some advice!
 
For my status page, I called them because i had some empty boxes. The admissions lady was extremely helpful and nice and once we confirmed that they received my materials, she filled the boxes with dates. I hope an get an II from here. I haven't been to the campus yet but I have a friend who has and she said it's really nice.
 
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