The truth about PCOM

[HussainGQ]

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Accordingto the people at PCOM, the have a min. requirement of 3. 2 GPA. I got this response when I emailed their admissions office, and when I called them. however, on mdapplicants.com, I saw that people with lower than the supposedly required GPA have been accepted..... so what does this all mean??

 

[cczar]

This means that PCOM will give someone a chance. They will look at the whole applicant. If you have a 2.0 undergrad but came back to ace a 2-course post-bacc and score fairly well on your mcat's then you can be accepted. I know one person who had a MCAT of 15 who got accepted. However this person was a paramedic and RN with 10 years of clinical experience in Emergency medicine. So it really depends on the applicant as a whole and not some numbers.

 

[BiOGoly]

Well, also they are probably using the calculated GPA from your DO application, not your transcript. If you have repeated some classes for a better grade this can make your application GPA significantly higher than your transcript GPA, which averages quality points instead of replacing them. The GPA's on MDapplicants might be transcript GPA's.

 

[kahoo99]

most places are flexible when it comes right down to it. though that doesn't mean a below standard gpa is no problem.

 

[medic170]

This means that PCOM will give someone a chance. They will look at the whole applicant. If you have a 2.0 undergrad but came back to ace a 2-course post-bacc and score fairly well on your mcat's then you can be accepted. I know one person who had a MCAT of 15 who got accepted. However this person was a paramedic and RN with 10 years of clinical experience in Emergency medicine. So it really depends on the applicant as a whole and not some numbers.

I don't mean to be judgemental, but you do NOT know someone with a 15 that got into any medical school. There is looking past the numbers, and then there is just ignorance. I think even low MCAT scorers like me would agree that nobody with a 15 should or could go to any U.S. medical school.

 

[medic170]

This means that PCOM will give someone a chance. They will look at the whole applicant. If you have a 2.0 undergrad but came back to ace a 2-course post-bacc and score fairly well on your mcat's then you can be accepted. I know one person who had a MCAT of 15 who got accepted. However this person was a paramedic and RN with 10 years of clinical experience in Emergency medicine. So it really depends on the applicant as a whole and not some numbers.

I don't mean to be judgemental, but you do NOT know someone with a 15 that got into any medical school. There is looking past the numbers, and then there is just ignorance. I think even low MCAT scorers like me would agree that nobody with a 15 should or could go to any U.S. medical school. Is it even possible to get a score that low?

 

[(nicedream)]

I don't mean to be judgemental, but you do NOT know someone with a 15 that got into any medical school. There is looking past the numbers, and then there is just ignorance. I think even low MCAT scorers like me would agree that nobody with a 15 should or could go to any U.S. medical school. Is it even possible to get a score that low?

I know many with sub-20's that got in, so I don't think a 15 is impossible.

 

[Freakingzooming]

I dont know of any sub 20's who have gotten in but think about what you're saying.. Either the person is really poor at verbal, scoring like a 2 which to me is almost impossible unless they intentionally miss the questions. Or they just dont know their science, which would be troubling at best for an adcom to admit.

Even 10 years of medical service can't offset this unbalance. I know standarized testing doesn't test for intelligence but it does test for basic competence and I think if that individual can't score above a 20, which would be like 7, 7, 6 or something like that, I would want to see some proof that he has a basic grasp of the requirements.

 

[medic170]

I dont know of any sub 20's who have gotten in but think about what you're saying.. Either the person is really poor at verbal, scoring like a 2 which to me is almost impossible unless they intentionally miss the questions. Or they just dont know their science, which would be troubling at best for an adcom to admit.

Even 10 years of medical service can't offset this unbalance. I know standarized testing doesn't test for intelligence but it does test for basic competence and I think if that individual can't score above a 20, which would be like 7, 7, 6 or something like that, I would want to see some proof that he has a basic grasp of the requirements.

Exactly!!!

 

[NYCDawg81]

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[docbill]

you guys.. why don't you let the admission com at PCOM decide what they are going to accept or not?

 

[medic170]

Grasp of knowledge?

I guess 10 years of actually work experience as a paramedic and RN counts as nothing...

MCAT is a test...one of many factors...my premed advisor has told me of students getting into med school with sub 20s. Even last year, he told me a student got into an american MD school with a 22 and was not an underrepresented minority or disadvantaged. Nothing is impossible my premed friends. 😀

Big, actually HUGE difference between a 15 and a 22

 

[newyorkcougar]

Incidentally, I just got off the phone with PCOM and admissions. They told me that the 3.2 GPA thing is what they consider to be competative...and that it is not a cutoff GPA. Admissions assured me that there is no cutoff GPA.

They also told me that the committee has not yet begun reviewing applications...which is why none of us have invites yet. 🙁

Anyway, hope this helps.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Incidentally, I just got off the phone with PCOM and admissions. They told me that the 3.2 GPA thing is what they consider to be competative...and that it is not a cutoff GPA. Admissions assured me that there is no cutoff GPA.

They also told me that the committee has not yet begun reviewing applications...which is why none of us have invites yet. 🙁

Anyway, hope this helps.

3.2 science or cumulative? I assume cumulative.

 

[Freakingzooming]

Big, actually HUGE difference between a 15 and a 22

exactly. 10 years of experience says to me tons of hands-on, practical knowledge. But this is different from learning from text. or book brain smarts.

im not a doctor but I think you would need a little of both to succeed in medical school and as a physician.

 

[BayesianDoc]

They also told me that the committee has not yet begun reviewing applications...which is why none of us have invites yet.

they are behind compared to last year due to the head of admissions leaving. She took a job in private industry in Boston. This happened over the summer right around when they review apps. Have not seen anyone interviewing yet. They started interviews last year right after Labor day I believe.

 

[NYCDawg81]

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[NYCDawg81]

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[docbill]

That sucks.. why can't they start interviewing. It doesn't take that much inteligence to do it... after all.. the other schools are doing it. Chicago and LECOM are also slow at doing that.

By the way.. MCAT is not the only thing that matter. Some canadian schools.. stoped taking the MCAT as an indicator. But that means that your other factors must be outstanding. Sorry few of them take international applicants.

Plus.. last note.. I have a friend who is an ER nurse. I would trust her with my life (once she is done her medical school). Unfortunatly I can't say the same about most young doctors. She has seen many doctors make mistakes and learned from it.. plus she knows how to be friendly with the nurses.

 

[dr.z]

That sucks.. why can't they start interviewing. It doesn't take that much inteligence to do it... after all.. the other schools are doing it.

First, I think MCAT scores shouldn't make a difference if the person gets accepted. Adcoms must have seen good things in them, and if they really wouldn't make it I assume they will drop out or leave the program.

Second, I talked to PCOM people last week (9/1) to ask whether my files were complete since I haven't heard anything since my rec letters were sent out. Anyways, they said they haven't even started reviewing the files yet. I wonder when the interviews will come.

 

[VALSALVA]

I don't mean to be judgemental, but you do NOT know someone with a 15 that got into any medical school. There is looking past the numbers, and then there is just ignorance. I think even low MCAT scorers like me would agree that nobody with a 15 should or could go to any U.S. medical school. Is it even possible to get a score that low?

Believe it or not, I also know someone who got a 15 on the MCAT and got accepted into a particular DO school. I have no idea if these are two different people or not, but I heard the test score from the horses mouth. This is absolutely confirmed. After all, why would someone lie and say this got a 15!!!

 

[HussainGQ]

hey does PCOM require a letter from my schools pre-health committee??Or, will I get by with 2 letters from science profs??

 

[EastCoaster78]

They require a letter from the pre-health comittee, but that can be substituted by a letter from your dean, if your shool dosn't have a comittee.

 

[BayesianDoc]

PCOM interviews start Oct. 4. In previous years most interviews were done by either Deb erdner or Tammi Rice along with a clinician and 4th year. Since Deb's departure, Dr. Evan Nicholas will be taking on a larger role in admissions. If you have him you better know a little history on Osteopathy and be prepared to explain mid to sub 20 MCAT scores. His brother chairs the OMM dept. as did his late father. Dr. Nicholas was the second OMM resident in the country. Pray you don't have him.
Good Luck to everyone.