whats a girl to do?

[hoping4amiracle]

i'm a frequent lurker, and as you can see, an infrequent poster....

nevertheless, i'd really appreciate some feedback.

so, i've fared pretty well thru this application cycle. i interviewed at EVVCOM, Western, NYCOM, Touro and KCOM... and was accepted at all of these schools (surprisingly!).

i've already decided against TUCOM & VCOM because of their "newness" but between NYCOM, Western and KCOM i'm having such a hard time deciding.

Loved the academic/adminstrative atmosphere of KCOM..but am concerned about the diversity of the student body and location.

Cali/Western would be a nice change of pace...but Pomona isn't the safest and I havent been able to find much about the strength of the curriculum.

NYCOM felt the most impersonal/least student-orientated...but would be near NYC, and offer great clinical rotation sites.

Out of the schools I've applied to, PCOM is my top choice...but I haven't heard a peep from them. I've gotta make this decision this week, and was hoping that someone could give me some advice (not necessarily an answer!)

thanks kiddos!

h4am

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[SexyEgptnDr]

Seems like you have a tough decision to make. First off, congrats on having choices!!! I currently attend NYCOM, but my first choice was Western (for all the wrong reasons). I am originally from CA and wanted to stay there. Western has some awesome qualities, but I can honestly say I am happier at NYCOM. Anybody can give you opinions on this web board....but, honestly...just because Western, KCOM or NYCOM may be the right school for some people...it doesn't mean that it is the right school for YOU. You need to figure out what you think is important and go for it.

As far as NYCOM being impersonal...I guess it's what you make of it. Being the largest medical school in the nation doesn't mean that you get lost in the crowd. If you want to get to know your professors and doctors...they are there for you....you need to make the initiative. I haven't had a problem getting the information or help that I have needed although I am one of the 300 MSIs floating around....I have always attended schools that were big...so it wasn't a big change. But, for those people that are not that used to it...I can see how it may be difficult to adjust. Regardless...when you get into the real world and you start your rotations...there are A LOT of people out there...so learning how to stand out now can only help me.

The number one reason why I chose NYCOM was because they ensure residency to all their graduates since they are affiliated with over 20 hospitals. That was big for me because I would hate to be at least $100,000 in debt and not match somewhere!

Good luck with your decision...they are all GREAT schools! If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me!

 

[LINY]

I am also a nycom student and have to agree..... though we may be big, we offer good hospitals, awesome diversity and a strong curriculum.

all the best

 

[rbassdo]

If you're concerned about the diversity of the student body at KCOM, I can understand. Nevertheless, I think there are several reasons why that isn't too important when considering KCOM. One, there are students from 35 states and 27 different languages are spoken - within my class alone (2006). Just because 90% of the student body is white doesn't mean we're not diverse - unless you define diversity using skin color (which is a common and easy mistake). Second, your observation of KCOM as having an academic atmosphere was right on. We work really hard here - more hours of anatomy than any school I know of. But...it's going to pay off. Plus (and this is my third point), most everyone here is really really nice - I mean certifiably nice. HELP is most everyone's middle name. Fourth, don't worry about location. I'm so so so happy I don't live in Chicago or Philly because 1.) I'd be close to so much excitement and culture without being able to touch it. 2.) You'll be too busy to worry about what you might be missing. 3.) Almost zero distractions except for human interaction. What I mean is...lots of the fun that takes place here at KCOM is generated by relationships and connections between students. If you're into cultivating relationships without the distraction of "things to do," it's the perfect place for you. Lastly, KCOM has an awesome reputation which it has earned and continues to build on. The rotation/internship/residency connections this school has are unreal (ie - KCOM rotating in hospital systems that are otherwise all MD). That takes being noticed and respected amongst all spheres of medical practice, or something like that.

Well, I hope this helps. By the way (and I mean no disrespect to PCOM or University of Minnesota, etc), but if you really want to learn hard core - how could you be content with taking 7-15 weeks (depending on the school) of anatomy?

 

[SexyEgptnDr]

rbassdo has a good point....for him/her...KCOM is a great school for all the reasons that he/she listed!!! However, I don't think it is fair to judge a school on how many weeks of anatomy or whatever subject that they take.

EVERY DO school is VERY anatomy oriented because you go over it again and again with each OMM class...However, where you can start comparing anatomy classes (and what I think is important) is how many people you have to a cadaver in your anatomy lab. Think about it....only 4 people can really dissect at a time and you have one reader. So, if anatomy is REALLY important to you...then I would make sure to go to a school that has tons of bodies. Some schools I interviewed at have about 8 people to a body where others have as little as 4-6. You can also tell a lot about the school by comparing the labs!!! So, remember how they were when you took your tours of all the schools! Also, look at how the class is structured...I don't know about KCOM or Western, but I can only give you the info for NYCOM.

NYCOM has 5-6 people to a cadaver and our anatomy also covers radiology (of both xrays and cat scans)...and cross sections. To understand those, you should REALLY know your anatomy. This is all in addition to the radiology course that we take our 2nd year (that I believe every school offers).

Another department that I think you should pay attention to is the OMM department (being that you ARE going to be a DO!). Try to recall the OMM labs that you saw...which one looked more comfortable to you? Most professional? Did that coincide with how their anatomy lab looked like?

Start to ask questions like that and I am sure that you will make a more informed decision!

-SexyEgptnDr
NYCOM 2006

 

[rbassdo]

Originally posted by SexyEgptnDr
rbassdo has a good point....for him/her...KCOM is a great school for all the reasons that he/she listed!!! However, I don't think it is fair to judge a school on how many weeks of anatomy or whatever subject that they take.

EVERY DO school is VERY anatomy oriented because you go over it again and again with each OMM class...However, where you can start comparing anatomy classes (and what I think is important) is how many people you have to a cadaver in your anatomy lab. Think about it....only 4 people can really dissect at a time and you have one reader. So, if anatomy is REALLY important to you...then I would make sure to go to a school that has tons of bodies. Some schools I interviewed at have about 8 people to a body where others have as little as 4-6. You can also tell a lot about the school by comparing the labs!!! So, remember how they were when you took your tours of all the schools! Also, look at how the class is structured...I don't know about KCOM or Western, but I can only give you the info for NYCOM.

NYCOM has 5-6 people to a cadaver and our anatomy also covers radiology (of both xrays and cat scans)...and cross sections. To understand those, you should REALLY know your anatomy. This is all in addition to the radiology course that we take our 2nd year (that I believe every school offers).

Another department that I think you should pay attention to is the OMM department (being that you ARE going to be a DO!). Try to recall the OMM labs that you saw...which one looked more comfortable to you? Most professional? Did that coincide with how their anatomy lab looked like?

Start to ask questions like that and I am sure that you will make a more informed decision!

-SexyEgptnDr
NYCOM 2006

Very nice observations and insights. FYI - at KCOM, we've got a MAXIMUM of 4 people at a body - sometimes 3. I meant no dissrespect towards anyone. My positive feelings about KCOM were an attempt to explain the good things about KCOM that seem to be a consensus (ie - the way things are/the way we want them). If you think my observations do not describe a place you'd like to be - that's fine. There's only room for so many anyhow!

 

[PhT]

From what I read, this sounds like a problem a lot of people would love to have! Congratulations ! But on a serious note, I would suggest that you look for the school that will offer the best combination of a comfortable environment and good potential for future rotation/residency sites. If 3.5 years from now (I'm a freshman) I'm faced with the same problem, I think I will use those criteria to narrow down my field of choices. I don't think that will be the case though, as I plan on applying to mostly allopathic schools. Just my $0.02

 

[youngjock]

why pcom? phiadelphia is a dirty city. just look at the center city, there are trashes all over. It has Penn, Temple, Jefferson, MCP and PCOM, five medical schools in the city limit.

However, that is a city that had glorious past, yet the present is bleak.

 

[Fenrezz]

Originally posted by youngjock
why pcom? phiadelphia is a dirty city. just look at the center city, there are trashes all over. It has Penn, Temple, Jefferson, MCP and PCOM, five medical schools in the city limit.

However, that is a city that had glorious past, yet the present is bleak.

Maybe, but at least they don't have any communists!

By the way, how is it a knock on the city that it has 5 medical schools in one area?

 

[hoping4amiracle]

thanks sdners!

i really appreciate hearing about your first-hand experiences with your school.

the difficult thing about choosing a med school, is that any narrative you hear about the school is inherently subjective. since one person can only attend ONE medical school, s/he will never know if she would have been happier and learned better at another school.

regardless, i have had to make a decision...and at the moment i'm going with kcom. the staff/students/alumni that i have dealt with so far seem to go above and beyond the requirements in every area. i also feel that i will never have to question the quality of my education.

if anyone has questions about the schools i interviewed at, please feel free to pm me.

best wishes,

h4am

(p.s. PhT--chill out and enjoy your college years a little...explore your interests, meet cool people.... and after doing all that for a good 2-3 years, come back to SDN and start obsessing over mcats, and secondaries, and interviews...etc..)

 

[rbassdo]

Originally posted by hoping4amiracle
thanks sdners!

i really appreciate hearing about your first-hand experiences with your school.

the difficult thing about choosing a med school, is that any narrative you hear about the school is inherently subjective. since one person can only attend ONE medical school, s/he will never know if she would have been happier and learned better at another school.

regardless, i have had to make a decision...and at the moment i'm going with kcom. the staff/students/alumni that i have dealt with so far seem to go above and beyond the requirements in every area. i also feel that i will never have to question the quality of my education.

if anyone has questions about the schools i interviewed at, please feel free to pm me.

best wishes,

Hey...if you have any more questions about KCOM, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. I'll try to answer questions as objectively as possible. Now...I must turn back to my thoracic cross-sections.

Ryan

 

[SexyEgptnDr]

Congrats!!!! I am sure you made the right choice! Now relax...you have a few months till you have to start studying hard!

 

[youngjock]

Originally posted by Fenrezz
Maybe, but at least they don't have any communists!

how do you know that there is no communist? And what does that have anything to do with philadelphia?

 

[Chagas]

Young J#$*ckwhatever:

why so bitter towards philly? what about the city makes you think it's future is so bleak? Having some of the finest medical and research institutions in the nation isn't such a bad thing!

 

[Hedwig]

Philly's great. It's a fun city with tons of students, top-notch hospitals, and some of the finest medical schools and research institutions on the planet. Plus it's somewhat destitute, so its patients manifest every kind of pathology.

Youngjock, I thought you were going to podiatry school (?)

 

[s42brown]

Congrats on KCOM

If you do end up there then we'll be in the same class. I know how you feel, I had to choose from KCOM, UHS, and DMU, but in the end it was the strength of the academics and the long standing reputation that I felt would make me a better doc. On a side note, while I was interviewing at another school I had two people ask me where else I had interviewed, when I told them that I was accepted to KCOM they both said wow. true story, it was this type of reputation that I wanted to be a part of. Good choice, and I hope to see you next year.

 

[Sweaty Paul]

Hopingforamiracle,

Yee Gods, such a long name. Congrats on your decision to attend KCOM. I can tell you without reservation that I am glad that I made the choice to attend KCOM. Your concerns regarding diversity, in my humble opinion, though valid won't be born out. I think that you will find great diversity in your class as well as in those ahead of you and behind you. Yean the 'Ville is a bit hard to get to and get out of, however, it has a sort of mystic little quality about it, that no matter how much you think you hate it it actually grows on you and you find yourself missing it. I know cause I'm a 3rd year and I miss it and my classmates that I was privledged enough to be around for an entire 2 years, years that I will always cherish (despite all of the studying).

Congrats. If you have any questions feel free to email me too. Though I won't be at the school while you are there, I might offer a little regarding rotations etc. ( I was rotations chair for my class).

Sweaty Paul MS-III
KCOM - 2004

 

[youngjock]

philadelphia is a dirty city. have you visited the subway stations? Those stations look like they have been abandoned for decades, they are very dirty, the lighting is very dim. You can not find a clean spot at all.

subway is suppose to be a modern convience, and with that, you should be able to feel the heartbeat of the city. it is just plain dirty, even the main station in center city is very dirty.

And all the streets in center city are dirty. It looks like a 3rd rated class to me. How many of you visited Shanghai, that is a city that is even better than New York. It is clean, it is upbeat, and it has the world's first maganetic train.

 

[Chagas]

Just as I thought YJ.... you make absolutely no sense and have no basis for putting down a great city just because the subway system is a little old and dirty... yeah it's so "DIRTY" that Christina Aguilera is coming to live in philly... why don't you take your posts elsewhere.... as I asked before ... are you even in med school? With all your posting probably not since you have so much time on your hands. Anyone who would ponder your advice shouldn't even consider living outside a cardboard box.... philly offers so much cultural diversity, arts & theater, great restaurants, the EAGLES and did I mention some of the best teaching hospitals in the nation! Go to Shanghai to get caned for your stupid replies!

 

[Mylaina]

As a student in Philadelphia- I wanted to make a few points. First of all, PCOM and Drexel are no where near the city. We are in the suburbs sort of, and right near each other. We are a train (different than a subway here) ride into the city, however. The train stations are a little ghetto, but it's a big city, and public things aren't perfect!

Jefferson is in a beautiful part of town, and UPenn is in a not so wonderful neighborhood, but the area right near the school is great! That's where my friends and I usually head to go get dinners and shop!

Philadelphia is a great city-- there is tons of cultural diversity and opportunities to offer free healthcare to the people who can't afford it or are illegal immigrants and cannot go to the hospitals. When there is time for a road trip-- you can head out to NYC or Atlantic City for a change of pace. Plus, there is great food, which is the most important thing for me. :-D

Make sure everything is filled out and completed at PCOM, a friend of mine had a problem with them last year with something not being done, and he found out too late in the game to fix it and get an interview in time... :-(

 

[rbassdo]

Originally posted by Chagas
Just as I thought YJ.... you make absolutely no sense and have no basis for putting down a great city just because the subway system is a little old and dirty... yeah it's so "DIRTY" that Christina Aguilera is coming to live in philly... why don't you take your posts elsewhere.... as I asked before ... are you even in med school? With all your posting probably not since you have so much time on your hands. Anyone who would ponder your advice shouldn't even consider living outside a cardboard box.... philly offers so much cultural diversity, arts & theater, great restaurants, the EAGLES and did I mention some of the best teaching hospitals in the nation! Go to Shanghai to get caned for your stupid replies!

Oh yeah...Christina Aguilera is REAL clean. I guess people go where they feel most at home. Don't you think you were a little harsh with that "Shanghai to get caned" thing? Ouch.

 

[youngjock]

Originally posted by Mylaina
As a student in Philadelphia- I wanted to make a few points. First of all, PCOM and Drexel are no where near the city. We are in the suburbs sort of, and right near each other. We are a train (different than a subway here) ride into the city, however. The train stations are a little ghetto, but it's a big city, and public things aren't perfect!

Jefferson is in a beautiful part of town, and UPenn is in a not so wonderful neighborhood, but the area right near the school is great! That's where my friends and I usually head to go get dinners and shop!

First of all, I am not talking about the med. schools in philadelphia. i don't know much about them. I am talking about the city in general.

And for mylaina, are you blind? Drexel is one street across UPenn. And they are both located close by the Grand old train station. And that is only about 10 blocks away from the city hall.

How can you say that Drexel is in the suburb? Does it make you feel better, because you are not going to an inner city college?

Second, grab a city map, look it hard, pcom is right at the city boundary. It doesn't matter if it is close to the center city or not, it is indeed still a part of the CITY of philadelphia.

Finally, this is the year of 2003. According to some 1970's Japanese comic master, in the year of 2000's, robots are already a part of our daily life. How can you say that because this is a big city, it is ok that the city train station looks like ghetto?

In my mind, it is a 3rd class city. You should all go to Shanghai, and see how clean, how nice their train station is. Then you will realize that you are actually living in a ghetto even though it is a city in the usa.

 

[Mylaina]

YJ,

Geesh, I never said anything offensive to you, and you take this rude attitude in a response to what I have written. You act like you know everything when you don't know the clear facts and then you accost people that do know facts and make statements. Very mature and professional.

DREXEL MEDICAL SCHOOL is in EAST FALLS, not in the downtown location of the UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL. We were MCP Hahnemann and Drexel bought us. Thank you for inquiring about my eyesight though!

My point regarding the locations of the medical schools in the area was that the areas in which students spend the majority of their time is more like a suburban atmosphere, and it's not a run down area as people are trying to portray. I don't "feel better about not going to an inner city school", I actually quite miss living in the city because I did my undergraduate in a very urban setting.

I know that Philadelphia is referred to "Filthadelphia" but just because it is not a spotless city doesn't mean that it's not a neat city to be in. To each their own. I said that this city was not perfect, so you don't need to tell me that by visiting shaghi that I "will realize that you are actually living in a ghetto even though it is a city in the usa." There are more important things in choosing a medical school (or graduate/professional) tan the cleanliness of the city for some people. For me, it was being in close geographic location to my family.

I hope that whereever you are and whatever profession you enter, you learn to accept other people's points of view and that you are not the only person who is right.

 

[hoping4amiracle]

what in the world happened to this poor thread!?!

when i originally posted, i was worried it would end flaming over a particular schools credentials or sarcastic posts about people complaining about multiple acceptances.... i never anticipated arguing over a city!

philly is great, but of course has some negative aspects....

whatever floats your boat!