>>>Official PCOM Class of 2009>>>

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EastCoaster78 said:
Just a heads up to anyone in our class who is going to be in philly sat night, one of our anatomy profs punk rock band is opening up for The Psychedelic Furs at the trocadero.
I might go out there with a couple of co 2008ers to check it out.
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oh man. that's awesome.
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hey everyone,
I am joining you all this at PCOM class of 09 and I will be there on sunday. I called and asked if my fiance was able to go and they said yes. I live in Delaware and I think I am going to try the commute by train. Its 193$/mo for a pass and the train stops 2 miles from my place and 3 blocks from PCOM. I may see if I can pay someone a little somethin for space on thier couch a couple of times a week/month depending on the classes. I am defintely looking forward to stopping working and focussing on school only again. My name is Brian and I an 28 so if you see me on sun say hey
brian
 
Hey Class of '09,

Welcome to PCOM! We are 2 '08 girls looking for a roomate for next year. We live in a 3 BR house near Main St. Manayunk. The drive to PCOM is about 10 minutes. Reasons to live with us below...

newly renovated house
2 full bathrooms
central air conditioning and heat
washer/dryer & dishwasher
deck with grill
walking distance to Main Street
plenty of parking (BIG plus in Manayunk)
we're fun & we took all your classes already :thumbup:

we would prefer...

a female non-smoking PCOM student

Rent is $600/month plus utilities, starting July 1st
Our 3rd roomate is leaving because her boyfriend is moving to Philadelphia (just incase you were wondering)

We'd be happy to show anyone our place and meet or talk to you on the phone - private message us for more details - thanks for reading!
 
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Just wanted to say that I'm a first-year and I lived with two second-years this year. It was the best thing I could have done. Seriously. I've spent so little $ on text books and the off-the-record advice has been invaluable. I highly recommend it (and no, the girls above did not pay me to write this post).
 
Hello Future Classmates,

A few questions:
-I had signed up for the Welcoming Brunch but ended up not being able to make it, did I miss anything vital?
-(maybe a question for the 2008ers) Other than having to have a car, is it much more expensive to live in Center City? Do a lot of students do this? I am moving from NYC (well, Brooklyn) but I fear suburban life...I know I will be studying non-stop but I prefer Philly proper so I just want to make sure I'm still being somewhat financially prudent.
-Very silly question: do you say "PCOM" with "com" pronounced as a word? or "P." "C." "O." "M."?
 
Hey Brooklyn...I live in Manhattan. Nice to see other New Yorkers going to my school!

The brunch was really fun and it was nice to meet other students. There were speakers, but all they said was "welcome to PCOM" and they gave us a few little PCOM imprinted treats. So you didn't really miss any vital information...just a lot of fun.

Everyone officail spelled the name of the school out, "P-C-O-M." But current students and other Philadelphia locals tended to call it "P-COM."

We should hang out in the city some time!
 
sbaker27 said:
Hello Future Classmates,

A few questions:
-I had signed up for the Welcoming Brunch but ended up not being able to make it, did I miss anything vital?
-(maybe a question for the 2008ers) Other than having to have a car, is it much more expensive to live in Center City? Do a lot of students do this? I am moving from NYC (well, Brooklyn) but I fear suburban life...I know I will be studying non-stop but I prefer Philly proper so I just want to make sure I'm still being somewhat financially prudent.
-Very silly question: do you say "PCOM" with "com" pronounced as a word? or "P." "C." "O." "M."?
Click to expand...

Since I am in the class of '08 I can't speak about the brunch but I can give you my opinions regarding your other questions. I'm from Brooklyn too so I have an idea where you're coming from.

As far as the cost of living in Center City vs. City Line, I have no idea. I pay around $500 and I am 2 minutes from campus. I know people who are 2 minutes away that pay over $1000. I think the area immediately around PCOM provides an urban lifestyle comparable to Staten Island. My experience this year has shown me that as much as I like the city lifestyle, 99% of my life has been preferentially spent within 2 miles of PCOM, which exclues Center City. It's nice because you really get used to needing a quiet environment. I know Center City is fun but I don't feel the need to go there too often, unless I'm going to a game or a post-exam party. Also, the numbers of first and second years that live downtown are pretty low. Most people live within a 10 minute car ride. If you like to attend lecture, limited Center City parking and the traffic situation on 76 creates a definite pressure to be as close to campus as possible

Lastly, the school is officially called "P.C.O.M." but we all call it "P-COM" anyway.

I'd be happy to answer any other first-year related questions from anyone on this forum.
 
Got my bill for the $2000 deposit today...at least we have a month to get it in. Does anyone know if we get this money back when we get our financial aid?
 
EastCoaster78 said:
Got my bill for the $2000 deposit today...at least we have a month to get it in. Does anyone know if we get this money back when we get our financial aid?
Click to expand...

I'm 99% sure it goes straight towards your tuition... though you may eventually get a loan refund close to that sum within the first trimester.
 
I believe the money is put towards your tuition. If you are getting a scholarship or if you want the money back and want your loans to cover it I would assume they will refund it, as long as they get the 2000 from somewhere. Is anyone taking the summer biochem course? I have heard so many positive things about it, I am definitely going to take it.
 
Yeah, I was wondering about the summerstart program. I was wondering if any students who have taken it in the past and are browsing through this thread could give us a little insight on what to expect. What is involved in the program, classes, etc? It sounds like it can only help... I'll be doing it this summer for sure.
 
Hey,
Talked to financial aid, and they said the money from the deposits will be credited toward our tuition, and we would basically get it back in our financial aid disbursements. I dont know if the summerstart and summer biochem are the same thing, but I got a mailing about summer biochem. Sounds like a waste of two weeks I could spend at the shore.
 
summer start is alot of fun

i was in both programs... the summer start and summer biochem.

bernice garrison is a dear to be with and she really cares about you. I was in a group of about 10 people, and we hung out almost every day for the two weeks that we were together.

Summer Biochem is a great way to meet more of your class mates and to get a feel for the material you will be seeing in the winter trimester (cell and tissue).

if you have any other questions you can message me or email me
 
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I havnt seen any interview groups for a couple of weeks now, so I think they are finnished for the year.

On another note. PCOM is having an open mic night at the Grape st. pub in manayunk on sat. at 6pm. I'm going to a microbrew festival type thing next door at the Brew pub, and am prob gonna go over when that finnishes. If any fellow 2009ers are in the area and want to meet up and drink some beers it should be a good time.
 
EastCoaster78 said:
I havnt seen any interview groups for a couple of weeks now, so I think they are finnished for the year.
Click to expand...

My interview group was told that we were interviewing on the second to last day of interviews, and that was a few weeks ago.
 
Does anyone know what the final budget is for 1st year? Im going through these applications for private loans and Im planning on taking the max, but I cant find the totals for tuition living expenses ect. on the pcom site.
 
Hello,

I'll be starting at PCOM in Aug. and my wife and I are looking for a place close to the school. I am also participating in the U.S. Army HPSP and would like to know if there is anyone else attending OBC in June.

Thanks.

Jim
PCOM class of 2009 :)
 
is anyone gonna be around this summer? i'll be moving to philly next week!
 
Hi guys! Just hopping onto the thread...apparently, I received my acceptance letter today (off the alternate list). I don't have it in my hands, as it was sent to my home address and I'm still away at college (2 weeks until graduation!) I am SO thrilled.

I know there's been some discussion about where to live. Seems like most people live around Manayunk, but some people do live in Center City. My significant other will be attending UPenn Law and he won't have a car (though I do have a car), so we're thinking of living in/near University City. Would it be difficult to commute from that area? It didn't seem like a long drive when I was there in March.
 
Congraduations! University City is really close, like 5-10 minutes, shouldnt be a problem for you. The rent in that area is very reasonable too. I just moved into a new place a few blocks from PCOM last week. Im going to be around all summer working on my Masters thesis. :sleep:
 
Anyone recieve their network/email login materials and/or have trouble logging in? They give a number to call if there are any problems, but I thought I'd check here first to see if it was a mass glitch, thus I wouldn't add to the inundation of phone calls.
 
My login info is not working either. I sent an email last night and I'll post the response on here when/if I get it.
 
When did you guys receive this information? I haven't gotten anything from them for awhile now? Also, when can we expect to hear about how much aid we will receive? Thanks for the help!
 
So here is the deal with the login/password for emails. PCOM has sent the correct username, but messed up the password. I assume your password was a five digit number. You have to call the tech office and ask for your password because i'm pretty sure it is only a digit off. I figured this out last week and sent them an email regarding the incorrect password information. I would have hoped they would have gotten back to everyone by now. Looking forward to meeting you all soon.
On a side note, if you have already moved to philly...
does anyone want to get together sometime for a few drinks downtown? I think it would be cool to be able to hang out with our new class before we have a silly amount of work to deal with. I'm down in old city so just reply on this thread or we can start a new one. Have a good day.
 
Yeah I called the Student Affairs office today, spoke to Bernice I believe her name was, and she was very nice. Transferred me to the tech people, and my password was indeed only off by one digit. So now my email works fine. But for some reason I can't get on the network because I can't get past the windows workstation login prompt, despite my following their directions. Still, it's a start...
 
Hi! I elected to join PCOM '09 and wanted to say hello to everyone here. Hopefully I'll be moving out to Philly in July, and until then, trying to figure out where to live, finishing work, etc. Can't WAIT to start classes and meet everyone! Anyone else moving from Ann Arbor/Michigan?

-Kristin
 
Hi everyone!

First off, congrats to those of you who have gotten in already. You've worked hard. You deserve it. I got off the WL last year the day before orientation was to begin and so far I have really enjoyed my time at PCOM. It's a great school and will provide you with a solid education.

HOUSING: Whatever apt/house you rent, try to get "utilities included." The cost of electricity is really high in Philly (compared to where I'm from, Virginia/DC) and can cost an extra $200, especially in the summer with the A/C blasting. Thankfully, I had a friend living in Philly who gave me this advice when I was hunting for places to live.

I live in "Greenbriar apartments" (down the street from PCOM campus) in an efficiency and pay only $695/ utilities INCLUDED. It's close, it's cheap, and it's quite. Thats why it's so popular with the students at PCOM. So...

****IF YOU PLAN ON MOVING TO GREENBRIAR APARTMENTS, PLEASE SEND ME A PM ON SDN**** (sorry for the all caps).

G'luck with everything...see you in August!
 
Hey all!

Congrats to you on your achievement--PCOM is a really excellent school. I wanted to let you know that my husband and I will be moving out of our apt in Manayunk (really large apt, 2br, 2bath + huge loft), vaulted ceilings, skylight, brand new kitchen, free parking, wonderful management company, super safe neighborhood and building, for around 1450/month. If anyone is interested (this is a great place for roomates, and it's about 7 minutes to school), please please feel free to pm me or respond to this post. Thanks and congrats to you all again! See you this fall!
 
Hey Everyone!

I'm coming to PCOM too. Just thought I'd say hi. Also, has anyone heard any details about orientation? If anyone needs any info on housing I live in the area.


:cool:
 
I recieved my acceptance letter this week (off the alternate list). I am soo excited to come to PCOM!! I am curious on how to find a roommate....does the school provide a roommate list or anything like that? I am just looking for ways to cut down costs..

also, this question is for those who currently attend PCOM. I believe classes start Aug 15 and I will away for a family event from Aug 18-21. How will this affect me? What was first week of classes like? is a lot of material covered? Will I be left behind in work if I miss 2 days of classes and weekend of studying?

ANY advice will be very helpful!! Thanks

Sorry for the long post
 
ornis4 said:
Yeah I called the Student Affairs office today, spoke to Bernice I believe her name was, and she was very nice. Transferred me to the tech people, and my password was indeed only off by one digit. So now my email works fine. But for some reason I can't get on the network because I can't get past the windows workstation login prompt, despite my following their directions. Still, it's a start...
Click to expand...
I can't get into the network either...
Is anyone having any luck getting into the network yet?
 
DocGina said:
I can't get into the network either...
Is anyone having any luck getting into the network yet?
Click to expand...

Still no luck here. I suppose it's as easy as placing another call to student affairs, who will transfer us to the tech folks, who will probably be able to resolve the problem in 10 seconds. I called yesterday, thus I haven't called back, as I don't want to be a pain. So it's your turn!
 
for those who are familiar with the summerstart program... does anyone, know how busy I'll be during this program? Would it be possible to hold down a summer job while attending this program? I wanted to see if I could squeeze a few dollars into my wallet before starting school in the fall, but I also want to do the summerstart program.
 
babydoll said:
I recieved my acceptance letter this week (off the alternate list). I am soo excited to come to PCOM!! I am curious on how to find a roommate....does the school provide a roommate list or anything like that? I am just looking for ways to cut down costs..

also, this question is for those who currently attend PCOM. I believe classes start Aug 15 and I will away for a family event from Aug 18-21. How will this affect me? What was first week of classes like? is a lot of material covered? Will I be left behind in work if I miss 2 days of classes and weekend of studying?

ANY advice will be very helpful!! Thanks

Sorry for the long post
Click to expand...

Unless you've taken medical school level gross anatomy before, I'd really recomend changing your plans. Anatomy goes so fast that even when you're there everyday, you feel like you're behind, at least for the first few weeks until you're used to it. In addition there are oral pop quizes in anatomy lab. They don't count for much, but you'll get really behind if you're not around for dissections the first week. In addition, the scribes notes for the first few weeks of the first year tend to be very unreliable bc the scribes are all new and inexperienced. The first few weeks of med school are stressful enough, and you'll make it a lot harder on yourself by missing a few days. On a lighter note, after anatomy is over in the 2nd and 3rd trimester, it's not a big deal to miss a few days. A lot of people don't even go to class at all, except for labs. But for anatomy, you just miss too much if you don't show up. Good luck next year.
 
babydoll said:
I recieved my acceptance letter this week (off the alternate list). I am soo excited to come to PCOM!! I am curious on how to find a roommate....does the school provide a roommate list or anything like that? I am just looking for ways to cut down costs..

also, this question is for those who currently attend PCOM. I believe classes start Aug 15 and I will away for a family event from Aug 18-21. How will this affect me? What was first week of classes like? is a lot of material covered? Will I be left behind in work if I miss 2 days of classes and weekend of studying?

ANY advice will be very helpful!! Thanks

Sorry for the long post
Click to expand...

Will it affect you? Yes, especially in the beginning. The first week of classes was brutal b/c you are not used to the material coming at you in light speed. Nothing in undergrad or any other graduate school compares. It is not conceptually difficult material just a **** load of it. You would likely miss lab which could mean you will miss a quiz and/or a case conference. Hence your grade will be affected.
 
ornis4 said:
Still no luck here. I suppose it's as easy as placing another call to student affairs, who will transfer us to the tech folks, who will probably be able to resolve the problem in 10 seconds. I called yesterday, thus I haven't called back, as I don't want to be a pain. So it's your turn!
Click to expand...
Ornis, I too live in Kinnelon, NJ. PM me, we may already know each other!
 
Hey everyone, this is my first posting... been busy with graduation recently and now i have more free time than I know what to do with. I'm living in Greenbriar and was wondering if anyone knew what kind of internet service was available (Cable/DSL)??? And if possible I think if anyone else lives there we should use a wireless router and split cost for the internet...
 
dermak said:
Hey everyone, this is my first posting... been busy with graduation recently and now i have more free time than I know what to do with. I'm living in Greenbriar and was wondering if anyone knew what kind of internet service was available (Cable/DSL)??? And if possible I think if anyone else lives there we should use a wireless router and split cost for the internet...
Click to expand...

Greenbriar uses verizon avenue. You prob wont need to even bother setting it up, there are tons of unsecured wireless networks in that place.
 
congratulations to everyone coming to PCOM next year! I read through a few of the recent forums & as a current 1st year I think I can provide some definite answers to some of your questions..here I go..

1. Roommate info: I believe you will be getting a housing packet in the mail from student affairs. In addition, they have a large book they keep in the office that has all information regarding housing available from landlords and current students-I think they may also do a computer based database, but I don't know for sure. Give them a call..they don't mind

2. Tech stuff-Don't worry about calling too much-if they made a mistake, they expect you to call & would probably rather you call now then have you miss out on information & stuff because you waited until school started to get your password

3. Orientation/Financial Aid-Although it seems so close, it's only May and you will find out your financial aid info in plenty of time. I remember panicking b/c I didn't have housing/ financial aid info during the summer only to realize that I was ahead of schedule..so don't worry. About orientation, the girl in our class organizing it told us tentatively it is Aug 7th or Aug 8th and will last throughout the week-you will have a few days off definitely, it will be a lot of fun, & I think we got mailings and stuff about it last year, so you should, too...

Those are all the questions I remember seeing. So, RELAX and have fun this summer & don't worry, it'll be great next year. Look forward to seeing all of you around in August

:p -soon to be PCOM OMS II
 
EastCoaster78 said:
Greenbriar uses verizon avenue. You prob wont need to even bother setting it up, there are tons of unsecured wireless networks in that place.
Click to expand...
thanks much...saves me a headache, one less thing to worry about...
 
Hey everyone,
Here is some early information about our orientation if you were interested in the dates.

August 1 - August 5:
Preliminary events are planned for this week, which will include daily "coffee-afternoon receptions" in the Evans Hall Mezzanine to accommodate those students who have moved in to their apartments on August 1, are in the PCOM area....and are looking for ways to connect to us! *Details will be available in July.

Sunday, August 7: An afternoon Welcome to Philly reception at PCOM is being planned by our student orientation team (M2's). This will be for new students and their families/friends. *Information will follow in July.

Monday, August 8: 1:00 - 5:00 (details will be mailed by July 1)
Tuesday, August 9: 9:00 - 5:00 " " " " " " "
Wednesday, August 10: 10:00 - 4:00 " " " " " '
Thursday, August 11: Free day and the Histology Place-Out exam
Friday, August 12: *The White Coat Ceremony (at the Hilton) 10-12:00.

*The White Coat Ceremony is being revamped this year. Please plan on attending! We will send out additional information, as the program details are finalized.
 
I have a few questions regarding the Histology place-out exam. Any input would be much appreciated.

1) Is is a place-out for just the lab portion or the entire class, as I've heard differing answers from future students so far?

2) Is this a recommended thing to do, as in will I be at a disadvantage for PCOM's Pathology class after not taking their Histo?

3) Any details about the difficulty/style of the exam for someone who has previously taken Histo in undergrad? (as in very very detailed q's or not, comp. simulated vs. through microscopes, how many questions)

Thanks in advance for any input that you can provide.
 
Taus said:
I have a few questions regarding the Histology place-out exam. Any input would be much appreciated.

1) Is is a place-out for just the lab portion or the entire class, as I've heard differing answers from future students so far?

2) Is this a recommended thing to do, as in will I be at a disadvantage for PCOM's Pathology class after not taking their Histo?

3) Any details about the difficulty/style of the exam for someone who has previously taken Histo in undergrad? (as in very very detailed q's or not, comp. simulated vs. through microscopes, how many questions)

Thanks in advance for any input that you can provide.
Click to expand...

1) The place out exam is only for the lab portion of the class, we'll still be responsible for the lecture material. Basically we just wont have to take practical exams, and will not be required to attend Histo lab. Histo lab really sucks by the way.

2) All of my friends that are current first years recomend it. You can spend the extra few hours a week that you would be spending in histo lab studying anatomy. And if you do well on the test, its nice to start the year with an A as 20% of your grade. I'm not sure what the implications are for path, maybe some current students can shed more light on this.

3) The style of the exam is digitized images taken from slides inserted into a powerpoint presentation. I think like 25-30 questions, but there will be info on the specifics posted later on blackboard. As for preparation, I'm planning on using Histotime. Its a CD-Rom they have in the library that gives you a pretty good overview of each tissue and has quizes at the end. I used it for my masters histo class and got an A.
 
Does anyone have the booklist for the first trimester for this year or atleast from last fall? I know it is not recommended to buy every book they tell us, however, I would just like to get a rough idea of how much I should set aside for books. Thanks guys.
 
LHUEMT911 said:
I would just like to get a rough idea of how much I should set aside for books.
Click to expand...

This is an excellent question. I too would like to get an estimate for an amount of money to set aside for books...
 
Question: If I try to test out of Histo and do not pass, this will not effect me right? Meaning that I will just have to take the lab and earn my grade then?

Also, how difficult is it to pass this test without having taken Histo in undergrad? I am planning on studying this summer though
 
stayinginphilly said:
Question: If I try to test out of Histo and do not pass, this will not effect me right? Meaning that I will just have to take the lab and earn my grade then?

Also, how difficult is it to pass this test without having taken Histo in undergrad? I am planning on studying this summer though
Click to expand...

You cannot test out of Histo without taking it before, whether post-bacc or undergrad. No it will not hurt you, it gets graded and you decide to take the grade or take the lab.

As to the book list there is really nothing hard and fast but I used the following this year.

Anatomy : Netter (Chung helps for review and Rohen helps when too burnt out for lab)
Development : Before we are born
OMM : Foundations
Primary Care : Bates
Biochem : Lippencott's Review of Biochem and my fiancee's undergrad book
Immuno : Parham
Microbio : Microbio Made Ridiculously Simple
Physio : Dubin for EKG, Board Review Series for Physiology
Pharm : Katzung
Path : Robbins
Medicine : Harrison's

Start the collection of board review books...
 
I'm looking into getting a new laptop as my one from college is old and struggling. Does anyone have any recommendations on specs so that it will be sufficient for the next four years (processor speed, ram, hardrive etc)? Also, for a wireless card, to be able to access the network when on campus would a b/g card be sufficient, or would I need an a/b/g card?

Thanks!
Claudia
 
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