The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) MBS 2012-2013

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They had it up on the website by the application information. Now it seems like they've removed it. Have you heard back yet?
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DocZoidberg said:
Where did you see that on the website? They said about a week and a maximum of two weeks at the June 1st interview date.
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They had it up on the website by the application information. Now it seems like they've removed it. Have you heard back yet?
 
They went beyond their original deadline. They were accepting applications until the class was full. So that June 15th date no longer applies.
 
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Congratulations!! Do you mind sharing your stats? Thanks.
 
Are you guys having trouble logging into the TCMC online portal? for some reason I keep getting the following message: Authentication Failed. Invalid credentials supplied. Please try again
 
DocZoidberg said:
Are you guys having trouble logging into the TCMC online portal? for some reason I keep getting the following message: Authentication Failed. Invalid credentials supplied. Please try again
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Yes 🙁
 
I was just accepted this morning and had the same trouble with the app check website. So maybe that had something to do with it? All the best to everyone.
 
Sorry, have been busy at work all day. Guess stats are not needed 🙂 Congrats to everyone!
 
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Hey everyone,

I applied and Im really interested in the program. For those of you who recently got accepted this past week, are you attending the princeton review course that starts next week? Because of the late acceptance, did they give anyone a choice/ok of joining the course late? (like maybe two weeks after the course has started)
 
rockafella12 said:
I applied... My app was sent for review on the 4th. How long does the reply generally take for you guys? I am really hoping I get into this program. Change of scenery would be nice!
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Hey rockafella,

My application was sent for review last week, have you heard anything yet?
 
Philipp46 said:
Hey everyone,

I applied and Im really interested in the program. For those of you who recently got accepted this past week, are you attending the princeton review course that starts next week? Because of the late acceptance, did they give anyone a choice/ok of joining the course late? (like maybe two weeks after the course has started)
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They only gave the option of taking the course next summer.
 
Philipp46 said:
Hey rockafella,

My application was sent for review last week, have you heard anything yet?
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Yeah I got scheduled for an interview tomorrow. Mine was sent for review early in June, so you might have to wait a while. My friend and I are interviewing tomorrow, wish us luck! :luck::xf:

Does anybody here have any tips for the interview? I really want to get into this program...
 
rockafella12 said:
Yeah I got scheduled for an interview tomorrow. Mine was sent for review early in June, so you might have to wait a while. My friend and I are interviewing tomorrow, wish us luck! :luck::xf:

Does anybody here have any tips for the interview? I really want to get into this program...
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Thanks. Congrats on your interview! Hope it went well today! 🙂
 
i have an interview tomorrow. any advice?
 
Be yourself. The interview is really low stress and they're really trying to get a picture of who you are. I know a lot of advice comes across as vague - so let me elaborate: they want to see if you can hold a conversation, if you're personable, if you can talk about your background comfortably. They don't ask incredibly intense questions. I got "tell me about yourself", "so you play (insert sport)?", "your major was (insert major), what did you learn in it?", "what are your goals?". Nothing too crazy. To be honest, a lot of my questions came up pretty organically as in any conversation when meeting a new person. Just be professional, positive, and personable and you'll be fine. Good luck!
 
Thanks so much for your advice!! That really helps a lot. Ill definitely keep that mind and also let you know what my status is after I hear back from them 🙂
 
anyone hear anything? My status page changed formats... I am wondering if that means I was rejected/accepted.

For those of you that got accepted, did you guys notice a change in the format of the applicant status page? Or was it sort of the same page and it just added another bar where it said that you're accepted?

Thanks!!
 
Looking for a roommate (female). If anyone's interested, please let me know. There's a great place really close to the school. Thanks!
 
What's the living arrangement situation like in Scranton? Are there any useful websites you guys are using?

See you guys in the fall!
 
rockafella12 said:
What's the living arrangement situation like in Scranton? Are there any useful websites you guys are using?

See you guys in the fall!
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Congratulations on your acceptance!! I looked under the housing section on blackboard, and as far as roommates, I was told the class group on FB was a great place to go.
 
Thanks!

I don't have the login yet for the BB so can you give me the format? I can't log in to the other portal either...

I don't have a FB, so that isn't much help but thanks anyways!
 
dlouis said:
I'm a current MBS student at TCMC finishing up my degree in a few weeks. Let me know if I can answer any of your questions.
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do you know how many graduates got into MD programs at other schools and maybe what schools they were accepted to?
 
aosoas said:
do you know how many graduates got into MD programs at other schools and maybe what schools they were accepted to?
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Let me see how well my memory serves me

Accepted to TCMC: 9 including myself
Accepted of the waitlist to TCMC: 1 (so far)

Accepted to other allopathic med schools: 1 - ended up at Case Western.

Accepted to other osteopathic med schools: 5 or 6 (some of us were also accepted to TCMC and turned down the DO schools). Schools include NSUCOM, NYCOM, PCOM, LECOM

A little more than half the class applied. A few were rejected pre-interview.
 
dlouis said:
Let me see how well my memory serves me

Accepted to TCMC: 9 including myself
Accepted of the waitlist to TCMC: 1 (so far)

Accepted to other allopathic med schools: 1 - ended up at Case Western.

Accepted to other osteopathic med schools: 5 or 6 (some of us were also accepted to TCMC and turned down the DO schools). Schools include NSUCOM, NYCOM, PCOM, LECOM

A little more than half the class applied. A few were rejected pre-interview.
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Let me at add a little more to what dlouis said. I will try to keep this to facts and remove my own personal bias.

Of the people accepted, one of them had to talk to the Dean of Academic Affairs for plagiarizing a homework assignment. No action was taken against this individual for plagiarism. One had a GPA in the MBS program of 3.2, others were threatened to be failed on their CHRP projects for either lack of participation in the project or just a poor project overall. Most of them were not involved in anything around campus and skipped class allot (something which is supposedly frowned upon in the MBS program). One of the accepted students was extremely competitive and would rub it in your face - dlouis should have no trouble explaining this one in detail.

Now here is some food for thought. Of 5 people who received 4.0 GPAs in the program, only one was accepted and all applied to TCMC. (Bias->) This just goes to show you that they don't really value the program. In fact, we were even told on the first day of orientation that the MBS program only exists so that TCMC can exist as a medical school (PA law requires 2+ programs) and to generate extra income for the school.

My opinions below:
Apart from that, the MBS program is really disorganized. I would assume, though, that you would find this much disorganization in any new SMP program. As you will see, the second semester is much more disorganized than the first semester. And just wait for the numerous talks about "professionalism." You will get these talks from faculty and staff when they don't provide any examples themselves. They will try to scare you with these professionalism talks and make it seems as you won't be able to get accepted if you're deemed "unprofessional." Don't worry. Some of the accepted students are extremely unprofessional. My advice (if its not too late) would be to only enroll in an SMP program that can guarantee you spot in their medical program if you achieve a certain GPA. Don't bother with this one unless you have good/decent stats before starting the program. If you are already committed to this program, make sure you suck up to faculty as much as you can (especially Debra Stalk - she loves suck ups!). and don't worry about participating in any school events or attending class (unless you want to), it doesn't matter. Most classes are recorded for you anyways.

Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about the program and I will do my best to reply and keep it factual.
 
hmm......so what do they look for? sounds like it is helpless from that comment. I find the comments from TCMCMBS to be rather discouraging, but not to far of a stretch from the truth
 
TChapmanwvu1 said:
hmm......so what do they look for? sounds like it is helpless from that comment. I find the comments from TCMCMBS to be rather discouraging, but not to far of a stretch from the truth
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They look for MBS students who break 3.0 GPAs in the program and have decent undergrad grades (in most cases) and MCAT scores. If you're undergrad grades are below 3.0 and you do well in the MBS program, you need around mid 30s on MCAT. There were also people who had these items fulfilled that still got rejected. My advice would be to try and achieve these items and suck up (colleagues never like suck ups but this is your career!)
 
TCMCMBS said:
Let me at add a little more to what dlouis said. I will try to keep this to facts and remove my own personal bias.

Of the people accepted, one of them had to talk to the Dean of Academic Affairs for plagiarizing a homework assignment. No action was taken against this individual for plagiarism. One had a GPA in the MBS program of 3.2, others were threatened to be failed on their CHRP projects for either lack of participation in the project or just a poor project overall. Most of them were not involved in anything around campus and skipped class allot (something which is supposedly frowned upon in the MBS program). One of the accepted students was extremely competitive and would rub it in your face - dlouis should have no trouble explaining this one in detail.

Now here is some food for thought. Of 5 people who received 4.0 GPAs in the program, only one was accepted and all applied to TCMC. (Bias->) This just goes to show you that they don't really value the program. In fact, we were even told on the first day of orientation that the MBS program only exists so that TCMC can exist as a medical school (PA law requires 2+ programs) and to generate extra income for the school.

My opinions below:
Apart from that, the MBS program is really disorganized. I would assume, though, that you would find this much disorganization in any new SMP program. As you will see, the second semester is much more disorganized than the first semester. And just wait for the numerous talks about "professionalism." You will get these talks from faculty and staff when they don't provide any examples themselves. They will try to scare you with these professionalism talks and make it seems as you won't be able to get accepted if you're deemed "unprofessional." Don't worry. Some of the accepted students are extremely unprofessional. My advice (if its not too late) would be to only enroll in an SMP program that can guarantee you spot in their medical program if you achieve a certain GPA. Don't bother with this one unless you have good/decent stats before starting the program. If you are already committed to this program, make sure you suck up to faculty as much as you can (especially Debra Stalk - she loves suck ups!). and don't worry about participating in any school events or attending class (unless you want to), it doesn't matter. Most classes are recorded for you anyways.

Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about the program and I will do my best to reply and keep it factual.
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That's definitely a more pessimistic view of the program although some of it true. The program did have it's faults but those will be changed as the school progresses. We had issues during the first semester with TBLs, exam questions, teachers, lectures, you name it...but then again, members of our class complained more than any class I've ever been involved with (both a good and bad thing).

As far as getting accepted goes, you're correct, if you had a low MCAT, had a decent MCAT and then went down on a second attempt, a low ugrad GPA, not enough clinical experience, then a 4.0 in this program will not save you. I feel terrible for those who had 4.0s for either one or both of the semesters but unfortunately, that's not enough to offset a terrible undergrad or MCAT. If you have a 26 save yourself the time and don't apply to medical school. Same goes with <3.0 undergrad.

Many were also waitlisted/rejected because of attitude, not showing up to class, not taking part in student council or student interest groups, being rude to teachers (on a daily basis), showing up late to class, talking extensively during class, and surfing the web/shopping. I'm sure there are other examples I'm forgetting.

I'm also going to have to disagree with you on the "sucking up to Deb Stalk" comment. In my opinion, there's a difference between sucking up and being a nice human being. The one person who sucked up to her (and every other faculty member and medical student) was not accepted. On the other hand, being friendly and saying hello while passing in the halls is obviously a good thing.

I'll end with this. It's a competitive program in which a lot of qualified applicants apply. The school only holds so many spots for its MBS students and as TCMC's standards increase each year, it's going to get more and more competitive. I KNOWINGLY went into this program thinking "here's 40k, and I hope I do well enough to get accepted." If you do not want to take this risk, don't apply or attend the MBS program.
 
I can't seem to find a thread for applications for the Class of 2014. If there is one and someone could direct me to it that'd be swell...otherwise I'm posting to see if anyone applying for next year's class has received an interview/got accepted yet??
 
I am applying to the TCMC Class of 2014 MBS Program.

Application Marked Complete: 03/11/2013
Interview Scheduled: 03/21/2013
Interview: 03/28/2013

They told us we were the second interview held. The first being 03/26/2013. There were only three of us, but they mentioned it was still early in the application cycle.
 
I was just invited for an interview on 4/17/2013. Anyone know what are the chances of getting an interview and getting accepted into the MBS 2014 program?
 
What are y'alls applications stats?
 
Sub <3 ugpa. Mcats below 28.
EC's:
Translator for Vietnamese Student run clinic for 1.5+ years.
Was privileged enough to have my own research project as an undergrad 2+ yrs
Worked at a pharmaceutical company purifying harvested protein for anti-cancer drugs for 1+ yrs (after undergrad)

Also a 1st generation Vietnamese american from an impoverished area

Overall: I refuse to listen to people that tell me I can't get into Medical School with a sub 3.0 ugpa. Take people's opinion with a grain of salt. If you need help with any area of your application feel free to pm me.
 
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I'm a current MBS student about to graduate. Happy to answer anyone's questions about the MBS program or TCMC in general.
 
I have been waiting for someone from the current class. Thank you.

How do you feel about the program? Has it helped you in any way? What do you like and do not like about the current program? Anything that they are changing or working on since it is a fairly new program?

Have you heard anything back about the provisional accreditation?

How many of your classmates are matriculating into Medical schools?

Thanks for any feedback in advance.
 
That's quite a few questions haha. I'll try to be brief for your sake and mine.

How do I feel about TCMC MBS - I love it. I think it's a great program that really helps people get into schools. The admin, profs, and everyone are great. TCMC has some of the nicest people around. These types of programs will be intense and full of grateful people (me) and not so grateful people (some people on SDN). It's all a matter of perspective. Do the work, take the risk, make your moves wisely with your particular situation in mind and everything will work out one way or another. This process isn't for the weak and TCMC's MBS isn't a magic bullet. Reading any SMP thread - you'll see those who've gone before you speak about "changing". That's definitely true - you like become a better student/person/applicant in one really intense year. It's glorious if it works out right and terrible if it doesn't.

Did it help - Yes, I was accepted into TCMC's MD class of 2017. My classmates and I have had many interviews (MD and DO). Some of my friends have gotten into good DO and MD schools (Penn State, Iowa - Carver, UMDNJ-SOM, the DO school). I think at this point 8-10 of us have gotten into TCMC. A handful of us are waiting to hear if we'll get into Drexel. Note the class size started at 69 and is now about 64. ~30 ppl aren't applying till this upcoming app cycle. The same 10-20 ppl seem to be getting interviews/acceptances. About 10 or so have been rejected pre-interview at TCMC. These are all approx and may drastically change by June. 5 or so from last year's MBS class were accepted this year. A handful of my classmates are going to the carib.

Likes/Dislikes - I like a lot and dislike very little. I'll start with what I don't like. I think the class size is too large. This makes for awkward group sizes (too many ppl - not enough work). I think some of the class curricula could be rearranged (some fall courses taught in spring and vice versa). I wish we took anatomy but that's really difficult with limited resources. What I like: the people, the building, the faculty, learning services, the MD students, the environment. In the end - I think the program was really rigorous and made me a better person/student/applicant. I really changed as a person and redefined my work ethic here. I could write forever on each of those topics (if you have questions on any in particular I'd be happy to go into more depth).

Changes for you guys - CHRP (Community Health Research Projects) may change for you guys. We currently go out into "the field" (hospitals, agencies, community) to do public health research. There just aren't enough agencies and people in NEPA to do this well anymore. So you guys will be using state and federal data banks to do your projects. There may be individual course changes - but we won't know about that until you guys are taking the courses next year.

The MBS program has been around since the school was started. This will be it's 4th graduating class. Your class will be the 5th. From my understanding this may have been the smoothest year they've had. A lot of my classmates were up in arms about them ditching the curving grade scheme (however no other credible SMP in the country curves in the traditional sense). I don't see a whole lot changing, but that may be a naive assumption on my part.

Provisional accred - once the MD4's graduate in May with us (kinda cool how we're graduating with the inaugural class) TCMC will essentially be fully accredited. They're doing one last LCME survey in about 2 weeks and that is literally the last thing besides graduation that needs to occur for TCMC to be fully accredited. Everyone's super excited.

Matriculating - I pretty much got this in the did it help section. I'll add that one thing to consider carefully is when to apply. You need to take a serious look at your application (MCATs, GPA, ECs) and see whether 1 semester or 2 semesters of decent work will help. For some ppl it's enough for 1 semester, for others it's simply not. If you have MCAT issues - you absolutely need to address them as early as possible. TCMC is good about communicating this. I think it's preposterous for ppl to get upset when they have sub 3.0 GPAs and poor MCATs to pout and get angry when they don't get into med school after 1 good semester of work. It doesn't work like that. You've gotta make up for lost time. There's a balance and ultimately everything works out if you give it the appropriate amount of time.

That wasn't as brief as I hoped it would be haha but hopefully it was remotely helpful. Good luck on the SMP app cycle and hopefully you get into TCMC!
 
Once again, Thank you sooooo much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to explain things. I know a lot of people with read your post, as did I, and contemplate about our path.

I also wanted to ask if TCMC has any linkages and if their program is seen as reputable by other schools even tho it is pretty new right now.

Lastly, Congrats on TCMC acceptance.
 
TCMC doesn't have any strict linkage per se. They carefully consider all the MBS kids for an interview. 2 years ago the entire class (~40 ppl) got at least an interview. Last year about 20 got interviews. This year I think we had like 25 people interview - about 15 or so are still waiting to hear whether they'll be getting into TCMC. Like TCMC says in their admissions stuff - they carefully consider the MBS kids for some of the MD seats. This is a shifting picture though and the number isn't constant. The other thing to think about is there are people from MBS programs in the past that are reapplying who may be in your applicant pool. They don't have a strict number in mind but they definitely take MBS kids into their MD program every year. One cool thing they do and you may not realize this until you apply to MD programs - they hold your application until January so that they'll wait for your fall semester grades. This is really an awesome thing they do that not so many other med schools will do. I was rejected by 3 programs within the first month of applying (Sept.) because they simply didn't care about an SMP, didn't think my undergrad was enough. If schools are willing to wait - that means they're willing to look at your SMP grades which is a big deal. TCMC takes this very seriously - so seriously that one of my classmates slipped through the system and his app went to a screener committee and he was subsequently rejected before fall grades were release. Upon realizing this - TCMC reinstated his application and put him back in the MBS applicant pool until fall grades came out - then re-evaluated him.

As for reputation - I think TCMC has a national recognition but it's not necessarily renowned. Even on SDN - a lot of ppl will mention a lot of other SMPs before TCMC. I think it's because TCMC places an emphasis on community and rural medicine (it's basically to the benefit of NEPA). However this was recently cast aside after the first Match Day results came out and only like 30% or so matched into primary care. TCMC's MBS program is good enough to get borderline applicants into great schools. Last year someone went to Northwestern, this year someone got into Iowa-Carver (which is a great school) and Penn State. A handful of ppl have gotten into Drexel. Again - I say borderline applicants though. Like they may not have needed the SMP program. At the end of the day though - the old adage applies, beggars can't be choosers. You're not going to get into Harvard from TCMC's MBS program. I think TCMC is well known and revered by the PA schools. The UMDNJ system was here this past fall along with Drexel and PCOM and they stated that they wouldn't waste their time visiting our school unless they thought it was a good program/school. On interviews people have told me they thought my curriculum was very rigorous. So all in all good things are being said about TCMC. On SDN - that may be a different story as people tend to be vultures here. I think as time goes on - people will lay off of TCMC and recognize that it's a decent school. A lot of ppl will say "well I loved TCMC and the people, they have a cool curriculum...but etc. etc" They're uncomfortable with how new the school is and they've heard horror stories that are like 2-3 years old at this point. But hey - it helped me get into med school when I thought I wouldn't be able to and for that - no one can knock the program. That's the whole point.
 
I am very skeptical, just like you, about reading people's post on SDN because I find that even though people are trying to be helpful, they are very arrogant and will jump at the first chance to tell you that you cannot succeed. I have even read people attacking other people just for asking a simple question, no manners. So I became very agitated when reading all these posts and have decided to only scan the posts that are relevant to me so that I don't have to be frustrated.
I find your posts very enlightening. The more I read your posts the more I want to attend TCMC. I understand that you may be a bit bias because you came from TCMC but I also realize that you are speaking with honesty. Even though I am still waiting on other programs to reply, I have decided that TCMC may be my best choice. You have convinced me of the program's credibility and success.
**Any interview advice is greatly appreciated.**

Once again, thank you for giving honest feedback. I was very fortunate to come across your path.
 
Yeah I realize I speak very positively of TCMC but I think that's just due to the fact that the people here have been very straight with me, I took advantage of literally every opportunity afforded to me, and my plan worked out as far as being accepted into medical school in the US. I understand people's frustrations with TCMC. It's a new school, there are hiccups, but it's nothing to like throw a fit about. Half of being a doctor is adjusting to different situations. You have to be malleable to be successful.

As for interview tips - just relax. The interview is literally just an opportunity for the admissions dept to meet you. You'll be surprised how conversational it can be. TCMC does a really good job at this and it really jives with how welcoming the school is overall. Know your CV, know why you want to do MBS and you'll be fine.
 
Just got accepted into TCMC. I was wondering if any of the older students can help me out. I am willing to buy your books for MBS program for half price as long as it isnt too bad. I also wanted to ask if anyone else is looking for a roommate?
 
Tip: hold off on buying books till you get here. You may or may not need them depending on what the curriculum looks like. The slides are pretty good for most classes. Also all the textbooks are either online(on blackboard from TCMC for free) or in the library on reserve (and almost never checked out until closer to exams). You may need more of the books second semester though. oh and congrats! Welcome to TCMC.
 
Thank you. I was wondering if you knew anyone that is looking for a roommate or if there is a facebook group? I check TCMC's facebook and did not find any people looking for roommates.

I believe I met you on my interview day. You/Someone said almost word for word what someone else said on here. If it was you, it was nice meeting you.
 
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