ACOM vs. LMU-DCOM vs. PCOM-GA

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LMU-DCOM vs. ACOM vs. PCOM???????


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Legloom

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Please help me. I have already lost 1 deposit, and I just can't choose between these programs.

I am really struggling to choose between these schools. I have considered every factor I can imagine and have reached out to current students from all 3 schools. I would love to hear feedback from others having to make similar decisions right now. I am really struggling with the fact that each school has a MAJOR con. Otherwise, I LOVE all three programs. PCOM-GA feels kinda corporate to me and students there have really commented on the lack of good study space on campus (also I have never left Georgia, so I can't decide if being close to family or having a new life experience will be better for me). LMU-DCOM will require me to put in a lot of effort to coordinate rotations, which sounds really stressful. ACOM-GA has mandatory attendance.

Please give me feedback based on your interview experiences, research, and student opinions you have heard.

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I'm a first year at DCOM and was also accepted at ACOM last year (I can't speak for PCOM-GA and can obviously barely speak for ACOM) -- I didn't realize it at the time but having no attendance policy is HUGE for me. Everyone learns differently but I love being able to watch the videos of our lectures on my own schedule and for most at 2x the speed. PM me with any questions!
 
4th year DCOM student. I also second the no attendance policy being HUGE. I thought I was going to be a class goer but after not doing well first semester I stopped going to class and my grades shot up. I will comment on the rotations thing since I have been through it. It definitely sucks. I am so so so ready to be done with rotations because I am very sick of having to set them up. The school really doesn't do much to help 3rd and 4th year. However, being able to do almost all of your rotations aside from the 6 months of core wherever you want is a very large plus. The core sites aren't in great areas but I left after my core was over and went to the city my boyfriend lives in. It has been a pain to set up on my own but I would rather go through the annoyance of setting up rotations than have to stay in the area my core was to do my selectives and electives.

We also get a TON of electives 4th year which I didn't realize was such a plus until I started figuring out what was supposed to happen 4th year in general. I got to do way more "audition" rotations in my preferred specialty this semester than people from many other schools. Not everyone uses all the electives to do auditions (which is basically a month long performance interview for residency) but it is nice to have the opportunity if you want it. I used 5/6 to rotate through programs I want to be at next year and I believe it has helped my chances at matching drastically.

Anyway, my point is setting up your own rotations really does suck and I am not trying to downplay it. But the flexibility in the schedule has been really helpful this year...more than I realized it would be before I started 4th year. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have.
 
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I'm currently finishing up my selective/elective rotations for 3rd year at DCOM. I haven't found it difficult to set them up, but that may be because I'm doing them all near my core site. Fourth year may be a completely different story. I also second what Mia said about the number of electives that we get.
 
I've said this in a few threads, but if I had to apply to schools again, I wouldn't even send my info to schools that have mandatory attendance. I have friends at mandatory attendance schools, and my day to day life seems like a party compared to theirs.
 
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Thanks guys. It really means a lot to have current students respond to my pleading :)

The attendance thing for me is one of the biggest considerations because I have NEVER functioned well on a 9-5 type schedule. I am really glad to know that having the flexibility to stay at home really did make a difference for you.
 
4th year DCOM student. I also second the no attendance policy being HUGE. I thought I was going to be a class goer but after not doing well first semester I stopped going to class and my grades shot up. I will comment on the rotations thing since I have been through it. It definitely sucks. I am so so so ready to be done with rotations because I am very sick of having to set them up. The school really doesn't do much to help 3rd and 4th year. However, being able to do almost all of your rotations aside from the 6 months of core wherever you want is a very large plus. The core sites aren't in great areas but I left after my core was over and went to the city my boyfriend lives in. It has been a pain to set up on my own but I would rather go through the annoyance of setting up rotations than have to stay in the area my core was to do my selectives and electives.

We also get a TON of electives 4th year which I didn't realize was such a plus until I started figuring out what was supposed to happen 4th year in general. I got to do way more "audition" rotations in my preferred specialty this semester than people from many other schools. Not everyone uses all the electives to do auditions (which is basically a month long performance interview for residency) but it is nice to have the opportunity if you want it. I used 5/6 to rotate through programs I want to be at next year and I believe it has helped my chances at matching drastically.

Anyway, my point is setting up your own rotations really does suck and I am not trying to downplay it. But the flexibility in the schedule has been really helpful this year...more than I realized it would be before I started 4th year. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have.

I will actually be entering a long distance relationship when I start school, so the flexibility to move around has actually been on my mind a lot...

How much time do you have to actually put in to planning these rotations? Do you mind me asking how far away from DCOM you went for your electives?
 
Do not go to the school with mandatory attendance
 
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I will actually be entering a long distance relationship when I start school, so the flexibility to move around has actually been on my mind a lot...

How much time do you have to actually put in to planning these rotations? Do you mind me asking how far away from DCOM you went for your electives?

It's not really a ton of "time", it's mostly just persistence....Sometimes I had to call/email multiple places for each month and hope 1 worked out. Sometimes even after you set something up they can fall through. It doesn't happen a lot but it does happen. I went to Arkansas for my core and then to Texas for most of the rest of my third year. I have been in a different state every month of 4th year doing audition rotations. It is what it is. People have been to pretty much every state so it's possible, just annoying to go wherever you want to go.
 
PCOM-GA MS4 here. I spent my entire life in GA and it made for a very easy transition going to school there. It was always nice to go home whenever I wanted for a wknd or just a home cooked meal. And obviously made traveling for the holidays a breeze.

You will most likely get the same education everywhere. And no, PCOM does not require attendance except for certain required classes, etc. that's a huge plus. And all classes are recorded allowing you to watch at 2x or whatever you can handle.

Professors are decent. If you are in to OMM (I am not), then you will get more than enough.

I felt prepared for boards and did well. Most of my friends did as well. But it's all what you make of it. Start working hard from day 1 and you will be fine.

Rotations weren't bad. Get a good anchor site and you will have a great 3rd yr.

Pm me if you have any other questions.
 
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I'm a 2nd year at DCOM going through rotations hell right now.

No attendance at DCOM is definitely a pro. It's nice to not have to go to classes all the time and my other friends at other schools envy that.

Rotations (I'm not on them, just dealing with the school to get that organized for next year) is a pain in the butt from the get-go. The people responsible for coordinating all that are overwhelmed constantly and no one's on the same page. It's extremely frustrating and very little information is given out regarding how to go through the process. Everyone's in the same boat though and we've all figured it out by talking to other students.

I would definitely look at how much time you get to study for step 1. This year, dcom started a new thing where we end "hard" classes today (yay!) and have only OMM and FMHC until May 15 (1-2x a week). Then from May until June 11th we have dedicated time for boards.
 
i hear the students at PCOM often get PCOMed. not really sure what that means though.
 
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PCOM - Ga is absolute garbage and avoid it like the plague.
 
PCOM - Ga is absolute garbage and avoid it like the plague.

Why do you say this? I've never heard this. Curious.

Go to the place without mandatory attendance. This is coming from someone at a school that has an attendance policy. The people that learn from lecture are adults and will still find themselves there whereas the rest are free to actually accomplish something.

For LMU, I've only ever heard about the shaky rotations made worse by the increase in class size.

As for pcom-Ga, I've never heard anything bad about them so I'd vote for there.
 
Attendance is advertised as non-mandatory, but they will do quizzes in class that are worth points, up to 8% of your grade. If you've never heard anything bad about PCOM- Ga that's because nobody is talking. It's a great program - in that it is sadistic and will build resilience and self reliance. But academically, the profs are terrible, and 90% of what you learn will be from self study and outside resources such as your textbooks, Najeeb, First Aid, Pathoma, etc. Way too much emphasis on OMM as well.
 
It's amazing how different everyone's attune toward LMU-DCOM was 2 year ago. Now ACOM has good reviews about nearly all rotations. Probably one of those few times where I say ACOM is the better choice (it seems like their classes are 8-12pm only with mandatory outside assignments, if this is true I would take that hit for the rotations).
 
I've said this in a few threads, but if I had to apply to schools again, I wouldn't even send my info to schools that have mandatory attendance. I have friends at mandatory attendance schools, and my day to day life seems like a party compared to theirs.

Obviously some things are required, like labs, right?


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It's amazing how different everyone's attune toward LMU-DCOM was 2 year ago. Now ACOM has good reviews about nearly all rotations. Probably one of those few times where I say ACOM is the better choice (it seems like their classes are 8-12pm only with mandatory outside assignments, if this is true I would take that hit for the rotations).

I don't hear all that much about that school period really. I'm more confused why they still don't have residency affiliations compared to newer schools like CUSOM along with many other schools that do, hell even BCOM does (even though the numbers are inflated).
 
It's amazing how different everyone's attune toward LMU-DCOM was 2 year ago. Now ACOM has good reviews about nearly all rotations. Probably one of those few times where I say ACOM is the better choice (it seems like their classes are 8-12pm only with mandatory outside assignments, if this is true I would take that hit for the rotations).

ACOM was one of my top choices between four schools. It was freezing my butt off in the mountains that turned me away from LMU. It was having to move to a peanut field that convinced my wife we're staying in GA. Don't underestimate geography.
 
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