WILKES-BARRE – The Commonwealth Medical College will hold a local open house for prospective students on Monday, as the nation’s newest medical school gears up for the 2010-11 academic year.
Debra Stalk, director of admissions, said 2,734 applications had been received as of this week, more than twice the number that applied for the inaugural class that began its studies in September.
The application deadline is Dec. 15 and Stalk expects about another 1,000 applicants. Last year, 1,291 applications were received and the school accepted 60 students into its doctor of medicine program. It will accept the same number this time.
The school has changed its one-year Master’s of Biomedical Sciences requirements and expanded the class. The 13 students accepted for the 2009-10 academic year were required to pursue a career in medicine for acceptance. That could have been in dentistry, nursing, pharmacy or another medical field. This year, 30 to 40 students will be accepted, but they’ll have to be working toward becoming physicians.
The open house will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday at the Best Western Genetti Hotel, 77 East Market Street. It is open to prospective students, parents of prospective students and community members interested in learning more about the new school and its mission. Reservations are not required.
Clinical faculty and representatives of the school’s admissions, financial aid and student affairs offices will be on hand to discuss the programs and eligibility and admission requirements.
In addition to grades and MCAT score, a student’s geography will play a role in acceptance.
The school set a goal of 70 percent of its student body coming from Pennsylvania and a share of them from Northeast and Central Pennsylvania. Scranton-based TCMC has satellite campuses in Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport,
Stalk said about one-fifth of applicants for the second class are from Pennsylvania. In the inaugural class, 70 percent of the students were from Pennsylvania with 18 hailing from the region between Williamsport and the Poconos.
Dr. Robert D’Alessandri, the school’s dean and president, said students from all 50 states have applied for admission and now that the school is established, its name is being circulated at undergraduate schools across the country.
“Things have gone so well, it’s a little scary,” D’Alessandri said.
He pinned the low number of applicants last year on the fact half the application period occurred before the school received its national accreditation and because it wasn’t a known entity.
“We were a new school. People didn’t know about us,” D’Alessandri said. The number of applicants this year proves that’s changed.”
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Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Med school making dreams real
WILKES-BARRE – As a married mother of seven, Diana Freyberger had very few options if she wanted to attend medical school. The nurse at Berwick Hospital has wanted to be a doctor for 20 years, but home and work duties, coupled with no medical college within driving distance, made that option hard.
But with this year’s opening of The Commonwealth Medical College, with its main campus in Scranton and satellite branches in Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre, the Nescopeck woman’s longtime dream has become more realistic.
“I’m really happy they’re within driving distance,” said Freyberger, 47.
She was one of a handful of perspective students stopping by the Grand Ballroom at the Best Western Genetti Hotel & Conference Center on Monday for an open house and information session for the new college.
College officials, including those specializing in admissions, were on hand to answer questions, offer advice and provide materials about the school.
Though fewer than 10 people showed up during the three-hour session, those who did said it was worth their while and they hope to be students as early as 2011. The deadline for the fall 2010 academic year is Dec. 15 and the college has already received more than 2,700 applications to fill 60 spots. Last year, 1,291 applications were received.
Dr. Robert D’Alessandri, the school’s dean and president, said students from all 50 states have applied for admission, and now that the school is established, its name is being circulated at undergraduate schools across the country.
Amy Blackwell, 37, of Kingston, said the 2011 incoming class is her goal, and with the coursework she still needs to complete to get her master’s degree at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, Conn., plus having to take the MCAT exams, that’s feasible.
The Wyoming Valley West High School and King’s College graduate said that when she first heard a medical school was proposed for Northeastern Pennsylvania “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I hope this happens.’ ” She said she’s been keeping an eye on the school’s progression from concept to reality and she believes it will keep a lot of local students in the region instead of heading to medical school hours or time zones away.
Freyberger said she appreciates that the medical school realizes there are a lot of non-traditional students in the region looking for a place close to home where they can further their education.
She said the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey was the closest option for her, but the commute was too much and she is unable to move. The proximity of The Commonwealth Medical College spurred her to inquire about the program. She also knows admission will be very competitive and there are no guarantees she will be accepted.
Source
But with this year’s opening of The Commonwealth Medical College, with its main campus in Scranton and satellite branches in Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre, the Nescopeck woman’s longtime dream has become more realistic.
“I’m really happy they’re within driving distance,” said Freyberger, 47.
She was one of a handful of perspective students stopping by the Grand Ballroom at the Best Western Genetti Hotel & Conference Center on Monday for an open house and information session for the new college.
College officials, including those specializing in admissions, were on hand to answer questions, offer advice and provide materials about the school.
Though fewer than 10 people showed up during the three-hour session, those who did said it was worth their while and they hope to be students as early as 2011. The deadline for the fall 2010 academic year is Dec. 15 and the college has already received more than 2,700 applications to fill 60 spots. Last year, 1,291 applications were received.
Dr. Robert D’Alessandri, the school’s dean and president, said students from all 50 states have applied for admission, and now that the school is established, its name is being circulated at undergraduate schools across the country.
Amy Blackwell, 37, of Kingston, said the 2011 incoming class is her goal, and with the coursework she still needs to complete to get her master’s degree at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, Conn., plus having to take the MCAT exams, that’s feasible.
The Wyoming Valley West High School and King’s College graduate said that when she first heard a medical school was proposed for Northeastern Pennsylvania “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I hope this happens.’ ” She said she’s been keeping an eye on the school’s progression from concept to reality and she believes it will keep a lot of local students in the region instead of heading to medical school hours or time zones away.
Freyberger said she appreciates that the medical school realizes there are a lot of non-traditional students in the region looking for a place close to home where they can further their education.
She said the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey was the closest option for her, but the commute was too much and she is unable to move. The proximity of The Commonwealth Medical College spurred her to inquire about the program. She also knows admission will be very competitive and there are no guarantees she will be accepted.
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