CCOM or KCOM

[kmv1005]

HELP!!! Which school should I go to?

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[dude4]

I interviewed at both! I chose CCOM, for the big city atmosphere. KCOM has better facilities for your 1/2 year, while ccom has amazing hospital affiliations (Cook, Christ, Lutheran, Rush, Olympia...major chicago hosp.)! It all depends on what environment you thrive in! Small/big city environments! I live downtown chicago and commute to school with ease....

 

[CoolDOguy]

KCOM is the best hands down!

I hope that I don't offend anyone, I know nothing about CCOM.

 

[LloydDObler]

I went to Northwestern as an undergrad and lived in Chicago for four years and LOVED it. My best friend currently lives there. When I was accepted to KCOM I withdrew my application from CCOM. I made a decison to go to a school where I will feel more comfortable versus going to a school in a city that I know I love. That is a little scary, but I know I made the right decision for myself. But as everyone says when someone asks this kind of question- its a gut feeling. Which school did you like better? Which curriculum did you like better? I thought CCOM was my first choice until I went to KCOM. If you are truly stumped, look at the pros and cons- you most likely won't have to move while at CCOM, but you likely will have to move at KCOM. It is a lot cheaper to live in Kirksville. Do you like big cities? Chicago is HUGE, although you can avoid it if you just stick around campus.

Both are fabulous schools, so wherever you end up, you'll be just fine.

Good luck! Chicago is awesome and so is KCOM!

 

[R U SED 8]

I am a native Chicagoan and a soon-to-be grad of CCOM. 4 years ago I was in the exact same position, but chose CCOM at the time for the sake of proximity, and the support of family and friends. From a very objective standpoint, I can tell you that one major advantage of CCOM is that you can do your entire 4 years within Chicago, if you so desire. This not only saves you the time and expense of moving but allows you the vast opportunity to complete electives at some great top-notch sites and make some big connections early on in your career. In addition to opportunities in the medical world, Chicago is also just a tad bit higher than Kirksville on the social ladder for those few moments when you have time to relax and have fun!!!

Either way, best of luck in your decision!

 

[ramsestiger]

I turned down my interviews at CCOM and UHS after I got accepted at KCOM. In retrospect, that might have been foolish because I now think it's important to get the full perspective from each school. I saved a lot of money, but I should have gone anyway. If I get interviews from PCOM and NJ now, I think I'll at least attend those.

I knew I wanted to go to KCOM after that great interview day. The best thing that I liked about KCOM was probably the fact that you do your third and fourth years at a different location of your choosing - I like to change things up every couple of years. It's a really good school with few distractions (meaning the town is tiny). The students there seemed to be really, really nice, but I think that's probably the case at 99% of the medical schools in the country. Overall, your life at either school would not be as different as you might think right now. You can impress your DO buddies by constantly telling them you attended the FOUNDING school of osteopathic medicine AND you always got visits from Dr. Still's ghost that used to help you study.

If you really, really like both schools, then here's my advice: flip a coin. If you think you got stuck with the wrong one from the coin flip, then change your mind! If not, call it fate and accept the will of the coin. It's a really great way to force yourself to find your psychological proclivities.

 

[bustinbooty]

I think you are faced with a no-lose decision here. I"m a 2nd year at KCOM, and I can offer a little advice: If you are in love with big-city life and all that a big city has to offer and this is very important to you, then Kirksville can and will frustrate you. However, if you are the kind of person who enjoys getting different perspectives of how the world lives outside of major metropolis areas, KCOM could be one of the best experiences of your life. I think it is important to remember that not all of your patients in the future are going to be from major urban areas. Living in Kirksville has given me a lot of perspective on how I will deal with patients from a rural and sub-rural population. On the other hand, there are more opportunities at CCOM to make clinical connections in your first two years at big hospitals. It may or may not be important to you to make connections like these before your clinical rotations even begin, so that may be a factor in your decision. As far as quality of education, I think you can't lose with either decision. good luck!! (p.s. I like the coin idea too)