2015-2016 The Commonwealth Medical College Application Thread

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strb_thndr said:
Just logged into the app portal and realized I never actually clicked "submit". I paid and had everything complete on 7/13, just sitting there for no one to see. :bang:
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Lol. The cycle is still early, so don't worry :]
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I've been a reader of these forums for a while, and I figured it was time to join!
I got an II this morning! My first one! I submitted my secondary on 7/14 and got the II 8/3. I'm interviewing on 9/9.
I had an undergrad GPA of 3.76 (just graduated in May) and an MCAT of 29. Also I'm IS, SE PA.
Good luck everyone! Would love to meet some of you on interview day!
 
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flyersfan93 said:
I've been a reader of these forums for a while, and I figured it was time to join!
I got an II this morning! My first one! I submitted my secondary on 7/14 and got the II 8/3. I'm interviewing on 9/9.
I had an undergrad GPA of 3.76 (just graduated in May) and an MCAT of 29. Also I'm IS, SE PA.
Good luck everyone! Would love to meet some of you on interview day!
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Congrats!
 
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babolat91 said:
Just got an interview invite so I wanted to post my stats to help others better figure out where they may stand.

In-State, undergrad cGPA: 3.72, grad cGPA: 4.0, MCAT: 31 (So LizzyM around 68 / 69)

Secondary received: July 2nd
Secondary submitted: July 12th
Interview offered: July 27th

Good luck everyone!
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Congrats! When are you interviewing?
 
Same II this morning.
 
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has anyone OOS gotten an interview here yet? it seems like it's mostly been IS.
 
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Im losing all my patience :(
I just want a decision from here! I'm literally from the area and praying for love.
 
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I am OOS. Sept 9th interview.
 
FIRMLYGRASPIT said:
Anyone know what TCMC's stance on update letters is?
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I went here for grad school and we were told to only sends updates that were significant and to only send one letter...... so its up to you being early you may want to wait.....
 
FIRMLYGRASPIT said:
Anyone know what TCMC's stance on update letters is?
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If I remember correctly, the secondary said that applicants could send "up to two meaningful updates." So holding off for a little while, especially if they don't send rejections out during interview season, is probably smart.
 
Interview invite! What's the best way to get to TCMC? I'll be flying in from California!
 
You could also try to fly into Wilkes-Barre, PA. The airport code is AVP. It might save you some money and time.
 
NorthOfBroad said:
You'll have to rent a car, but fly into Philly or Newark, whichever is eaiser
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Ahh ok. I'm interviewing at Jefferson on the 30th of September. I'm thinking of scheduling my TCMC for the 28th of Septemeber and then heading to Philly. Not sure if this is the best idea, since it appears the schools are about 2.5 hours apart, and I won't need a car when I'm at Jefferson. Plus, I'll have to pay for Monday and Tuesday night hotel, which would be less expensive than an extra flight out of California, but I don't want to be exhausted for the Jefferson interview two days later. Also, I'm interviewing at Oakland two days after Jefferson, so not sure if it's best to do 3 back-to-back interviews in the same week. Any opinions? Should I just shell out for an extra flight and do TCMC earlier during mid-September? Or cram 3 interviews in one week?
 
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winterwind_23 said:
Thanks! I'll look into it!
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In my honest opinion you're coming from so far it's probably best to just stay those days and get TCMC and Jefferson done. Just relax in Philly those two days! You'll be fully rested for Jeff! Congrats on all your interviews and best of luck!
 
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nsharma23 said:
Yea no problem! You could also give me any interviews you don't want :) JK! But seriously, congrats on your cycle so far!!!!
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Haha I wish I could be more selective about interviews at this point! No humble brag (c'mon, I'll admit, humble brag), but at this point, getting an interview feels like chore. 5th one here today, hoping for more!
 
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ahah if you need things to do in Philly PM me. Lived here for a while and there's a ton to do!
 
Interview Invite! 3.9/29.

do you guys know what the best way is to travel from TCMC to Thomas Jefferson?
My interview dates for these two schools are 2 days apart, and I wondering how I can get to Philly from Scanton with the best and cheapest way. Thank you!
 
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fakedoctor123 said:
Interview Invite! 3.9/29.

do you guys know what the best way is to travel from TCMC to Thomas Jefferson?
My interview dates for these two schools are 2 days apart, and I wondering how I can get to Philly from Scanton with the best and cheapest way. Thank you!
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Depends. If you have a car you can drive it in about 2-2.5 hours. There's also flights from Philadelphia to Avoca (20ish minutes from Scranton) but I'm not sure what they cost. There's a martz bus station in Wilkes Barre (probably one in Scranton too) but again, not sure of the schedule or cost. Those are probably your only options.
 
mk2015 said:
Depends. If you have a car you can drive it in about 2-2.5 hours. There's also flights from Philadelphia to Avoca (20ish minutes from Scranton) but I'm not sure what they cost. There's a martz bus station in Wilkes Barre (probably one in Scranton too) but again, not sure of the schedule or cost. Those are probably your only options.
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I've heard you won't need a car around Jefferson. In this case, it would probably be best to bus it in. Otherwise, drive in if you can set up a car drop off in Philly.
 
@fakedoctor123 & @winterwind_23 - I think your best options are to either fly into Wilkes Barre, rent a car and go to your tcmc interview. Then, drive to Philly and return the car, hang out in Philly and go to your Jeff interview. Then fly out of Philly.

If its cheaper to fly in and out of the same airport, I'd suggest flying into Philly, rent a car drive to Scranton for your interviews and then drive back to Philly. Then you could drop off the car again as I mentioned.

Philly and Scranton are a few hours from each other, but its not a bad drive (once you get out of Philly). It's a straight shot up 476
 
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131989 said:
Onto LECOM and PCOM...I'd like to stay in-state.

Dear ABC,

One of the most difficult responsibilities of my position, if not the most difficult, is informing applicants when they have not been granted an interview for The Commonwealth Medical College's (TCMC) Doctor of Medicine program. This year, the Admissions Office received more than 7,000 applications that created the most competitive applicant pool in TCMC's history.


Thank you for your time and effort in applying to our medical school. We wish you success in all future academic endeavors.

Sincerely,

Michelle Schmude, EdD
Assistant Dean for Admissions[/.
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When were you complete? Hope you don't mind me asking.
 
Scheduled my interview for the end of September! Dang, three interviews that week, back to back!
 
Yolanda said:
If I remember correctly, the secondary said that applicants could send "up to two meaningful updates." So holding off for a little while, especially if they don't send rejections out during interview season, is probably smart.
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Thanks! Yeah I guess I'm a little worried about the fact that my primary doesn't have shadowing listed as an activity, but I did do it after submission...not sure how highly they value shadowing/if that warrants a meaningful update?
 
FIRMLYGRASPIT said:
Thanks! Yeah I guess I'm a little worried about the fact that my primary doesn't have shadowing listed as an activity, but I did do it after submission...not sure how highly they value shadowing/if that warrants a meaningful update?
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Your call, depends on whether or not you think you'll have more things to add soon that you might want to wait for or if the shadowing was something you found to be very meaningful.

Feel like I should add that these are just my general opinions and I have zero insight on how the school views "meaningful" updates, specifically.
 
Does TCMC have a lower ratio of acceptances to interviewees? For OOS, they interviewed 322 applicants, with 22 matriculants. This interviewee to matriculant ratio seems pretty low compared to other schools. Can this be because many OOS applicants choose to go elsewhere? Or is it because TCMC screens more harshly after interviews? Even for IS applicants, the ratio seems pretty low (78 matriculants to 456 interviewees). Does this mean that interviewees should not get their hopes up too high for this school?
 
winterwind_23 said:
Does TCMC have a lower ratio of acceptances to interviewees? For OOS, they interviewed 322 applicants, with 22 matriculants. This interviewee to matriculant ratio seems pretty low compared to other schools. Can this be because many OOS applicants choose to go elsewhere? Or is it because TCMC screens more harshly after interviews? Even for IS applicants, the ratio seems pretty low (78 matriculants to 456 interviewees). Does this mean that interviewees should not get their hopes up too high for this school?
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You'd have to know their total number accepted, without that it is impossible to know. Because it is such a new school and because PA has quite a few well established medical schools, I would assume they have a lower yield.
 
NorthOfBroad said:
You'd have to know their total number accepted, without that it is impossible to know. Because it is such a new school and because PA has quite a few well established medical schools, I would assume they have a lower yield.
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The fact that PA has many established medical schools could well explain their lower ratio of matriculants to interviewees. I didn't think of this when I wrote my post. Is there any data on the number of acceptances as opposed to matriculants? I don't believe the MSAR has this information.
 
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