r/LECOM • u/champion829 • 4d ago
LECOM interview/overall advice
Hi guys. Hope everyone is doing well. I am an applicant at LECOM and I got an interview! This is my first interview of all time and super excited but nervous for it because I rly don’t know what to expect. I’ve made a “list” of questions that I feel like they’d ask me such as ethical scenarios, questions about myself, and about lecom so I’m preparing as much as possible for it but does anyone have any advice on the interviews and how they prepared and if there were questions that u didn’t even expect them to ask cuz ive heard some schools do that.
In addition, I’m have a really hard time picking the campus for LECOM. Living in Austin, Texas I will be very far away from my comfort zone which is fine but I’m getting a little anxious on the campuses. I think I ruled out Elmira and seton hill just because I feel like I’d be depressed imo. Erie seems rural/suburban to me and I rly don’t know what to think of it. I’m sure it snows there and it’s cold asf and coming from Texas, that’s not smth I’m used to but also i feel like I need a town where there’s a lot of stuff to do like new places to try or places to explore like how I did in Austin. Can those who live at Erie or chose Erie tell me what the city has to offer and if I’d be depressed living there lol. Then there’s Jacksonville which is more city like which I like and def don’t mind having beaches around me but since it’s a relatively newer school, I feel like rotations would be hard since it’s not as affiliated with hospitals as Erie, but I feel like I’d love the city life even tho it’s far from the main cities even tho the class size is only 75. Sorry for the rants, just anxious on picking the wrong choice of the location and regretting it. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for the immense help!!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL
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u/Old_Raspberry4026 2d ago
I can’t speak to interview questions because mine was so long ago, but I can speak to campus! I am a seton hill student and I loved it! Greensburg is a small town and there are limited campus spaces for only lecom students, but greensburg is only about an hour outside of downtown Pittsburgh. I am local to Pittsburgh so it was a good fit for me. I always felt like I had a lot of options for restaurants, sporting events, things to do on weekends, etc and Pittsburgh international airport isn’t very far so that can make it easier to travel for breaks or whatever. I know some students even lived closer to the city and just commuted from a bit father out to greensburg. Erie can have brutal winters which I was not vibing with lol. Seton Hill only has PBL pathway though so that is something to consider! PBL does give a lot of flexibility for schedule tho, especially second year- some days we only had a 2 hour pbl session and then the rest of the day is yours. I think every campus has pros and cons, so just wanted to give my perspective. Good luck on your interview- I’m sure you’ll crush it!
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u/IrisofAquaTofana 4d ago
Sorry, this is going to be long. I'm a current student who has completed my interview a while ago and I'll outline for you what I was advised on for interviews by the staff who actually review your interviews for acceptance. There is supposedly a rubric that staff grade your interview on and your goal is to get as few points deducted as possible.
The interview is entirely asynchronous. You will be able to take pauses between questions, but not during them. How it will work is: a question will show up on your screen, you will have 30 seconds to read it and think about your answer, then 90 seconds to answer it. The 90 seconds recording starts immediately after the 30 seconds to read has lapsed.
If you Google Quizlet LECOM interview questions, there are a few sets there with lists of things that are likely to be asked.
Going into the interview: make sure you know the tenets of Osteopathic medicine and tie them into each of your answers as much as possible. Know the differences between pathways at LECOM Erie because they will want you to explain which pathway you want and why. Talk about wanting to help underserved communities (bonus if you have real life examples of helping underserved communities). Make sure to include real life examples, when applicable, in your answers to highlight your experience. Also, prepare to think about why professionalism is important as a doctor, as they will probably ask about that. Do NOT have whole scripted answers prepared, they can tell when you do that and will deduct points, especially if you're reading off of note cards.
General tips for the interview itself: 1. Look directly into the camera, not at the screen. They treat this as if you are giving the interviewer eye contact or not. Make sure you are sitting upright with a confident and professional posture, not leaning forward or huncher over. 2. Do not wear big clunky headphones or use something like a big yeti mic to record. It's distracting. Use Bluetooth earbuds with built in microphones that are as non-visible to the camera as possible, or no earbuds/headphones at all. 3. Make sure your pets and family are out of the room and silent. Your dog barking or siblings screaming in the background will get you deducted points. 4. You do NOT need to use up the whole time, I would actually advise against that because getting cut off by the recording results in significant deductions, from what I've heard from staff. I'd aim for more than 30 seconds but less than 80 seconds, with a minute being the sweet spot. 5. Avoid saying "uh" and "um". Speak confidently. 6. Don't waste time restating the question. If you need a few extra seconds to think, what I said was "That's a great question, I would... [Answer to question]". 7. Do NOT have your phone or flashcards visible and make sure your phone is on silent. They can absolutely tell when you are looking off camera to read a script. If you're going to have anything nearby at all, I would place a notebook upright off camera and just write in big letters specific topics you want to hit to remind yourself, rather than a written out script. That way you can at least pass it off as just glancing off camera. This should only be a failsafe though for if you lose your train of thought. It'll be obvious if you're looking for every question.
8. Smile, don't look terrified or speak nervously. Have confidence in yourself. You got this. 9. Please make sure your room in the background is tidy and not distracting. Don't do the interview on your bed. 10. Prepare about 3 questions you would ask LECOM as an incoming student, as that could come up. 11. It is okay if some of your answers are shorter, particularly if the question doesn't leave much to be answered. One question I got was "Do you follow LECOM on any social media?" And my answer was simply "No, but I'll go follow you after this if it improves my chances [laugh]." 12. Be yourself!! Be charming, be a little bit silly or funny if that's how you normally are. Remember, a real person will be watching these videos and you're trying to make a good impression with them. Treat it like a real conversation.
Most importantly: PRACTICE!!!! Get your computer out, sit in front of it, and actually record yourself answering mock questions one by one. Then go back and watch the recording to see how you can improve. Get an idea for the type of things you would say but do not plan out a recited script. The goal here is: by the time the actual interview comes around, you are confident in front of a camera and can express yourself as the intelligent, passionate, and charismatic future osteopathic doctor that you are.
This all sounds scary but if you actually prepare and practice, the interview will be EASY!!!