ACOM vs. LMU-DCOM: Would Truly Appreciate Feedback

[Lunzio]

Firstly, thank you for even taking the time to look at this post! I know it's "another one of those threads" - I just would really like to hear a few more opinions before making such a huge decision and I know this is the perfect outlet since there's so many intelligent people around here.

Let me just state where my head is at currently! I'm leaning LMU-DCOM for a few reasons that are important to me. The appeal of being involved and a part of a larger university is something that I didn't think would be a factor, but coming from a large state university, I truly appreciate the wide range of diversity and opportunities that this presents. From the moment I stepped onto the campus, I felt comfortable and could easily see myself being a student there. Streaming lectures/non-mandatory attendance are a great bonus, which really allow me to already see how I would go about each day (whether its sleeping a little later, blowing off some steam at the student gym, or taking a jog around a trail or two). I found a great comfort in the atmosphere. Anatomy boot camp seems like a great opportunity to get my feet wet in the school, the area, and socially - I've never taken an anatomy course with cadavers. There is already an established student government, with plenty of opportunities to get to know students outside of the class, and stretch out creatively. Where I am concerned is the 3rd and 4th year rotations. Having a larger class size seems to have put this school at a disadvantage - though I've been reassured that this will be sorted by the time it is relevant to me. In some ways having the option to check out different fields (during 3rd and 4th year) in different states of the country is exciting, but it also has me worried that I may struggle to find the right one for me with all the given options.

ACOM on the other hand was my first interview, and I had such a positive experience. Seeing the new facilities for the first time had me in awe. The staff seemed passionate and truly devoted to their cause. The dorming facilities were literally a few minute walk from the main building. Everything in this school seems designed with the students in mind. Dothan itself could not be more welcoming and the proximity to Florida presents itself with a nice option of getaways (I visit Florida at least once every year for vacation with my family). The school is obviously brand new and there is not much established in terms of reputation and student government. I do think there is a lot of potential in being a part of paving the way for the future though. With the guarantee that 3rd and 4th years have already designated rotation sites through AMEC, this kind of assurance is definitely comforting. I also may be mistaken, but I believe that groups of 30 students or so will be stationed at the different sites during these years - which is definitely a plus for me, since camaraderie is something I definitely am seeking in these stressful times. The mention of hospice care and nutrition in the curriculum is one that genuinely interests me. The mandatory (80%) attendance rate is one that I am still unsure about. I rarely missed class in undergrad, however, this is an entirely different beast, and I don't know what the appropriate method of study would be for me in this environment just yet.

Please, if you can, let me know what you think. Is there anything relevant to my concerns that I should know about? Is there anything that you think a person choosing these schools should understand before deciding?

I am currently also waiting to hear back from another school or two (NYITCOM in particular), so I do have this option on the table, but I'd love to hear how these two schools compare.
Any help you could provide would be absolutely appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Lunzio]

I'd greatly appreciate any brief reasonings for the choices thus far!

 

[OldMemphis]

I think DCOM is a great school. I have every confidence the clinical sites will be fine. I'd be worried about allllll the kinks that a 2nd year school would have. DCOM isn't perfect but they have a lot of problem solving experience and things run pretty smooth. Remember it will be nothing like undergrad. Schedules change all the time. But 80% would be enough to worry me. Sometimes you just have to study, and sitting in a clinical class with anatomy test coming can be frustrating.

Dothan is Manhattan compared to Harrogate. So there is that.

 

[Lunzio]

I think DCOM is a great school. I have every confidence the clinical sites will be fine. I'd be worried about allllll the kinks that a 2nd year school would have. DCOM isn't perfect but they have a lot of problem solving experience and things run pretty smooth. Remember it will be nothing like undergrad. Schedules change all the time. But 80% would be enough to worry me. Sometimes you just have to study, and sitting in a clinical class with anatomy test coming can be frustrating.

Dothan is Manhattan compared to Harrogate. So there is that.

You bring up some great points! The newness of ACOM is definitely something that worries me. Talking with the students was certainly assuring - as they all seemed confident in the staff to prepare them - but it's a major factor to consider with such high stakes.

 

[d2bdave]

Firstly, thank you for even taking the time to look at this post! I know it's "another one of those threads" - I just would really like to hear a few more opinions before making such a huge decision and I know this is the perfect outlet since there's so many intelligent people around here.

Let me just state where my head is at currently! I'm leaning LMU-DCOM for a few reasons that are important to me. The appeal of being involved and a part of a larger university is something that I didn't think would be a factor, but coming from a large state university, I truly appreciate the wide range of diversity and opportunities that this presents. From the moment I stepped onto the campus, I felt comfortable and could easily see myself being a student there. Streaming lectures/non-mandatory attendance are a great bonus, which really allow me to already see how I would go about each day (whether its sleeping a little later, blowing off some steam at the student gym, or taking a jog around a trail or two). I found a great comfort in the atmosphere. Anatomy boot camp seems like a great opportunity to get my feet wet in the school, the area, and socially - I've never taken an anatomy course with cadavers. There is already an established student government, with plenty of opportunities to get to know students outside of the class, and stretch out creatively. Where I am concerned is the 3rd and 4th year rotations. Having a larger class size seems to have put this school at a disadvantage - though I've been reassured that this will be sorted by the time it is relevant to me. In some ways having the option to check out different fields (during 3rd and 4th year) in different states of the country is exciting, but it also has me worried that I may struggle to find the right one for me with all the given options.

ACOM on the other hand was my first interview, and I had such a positive experience. Seeing the new facilities for the first time had me in awe. The staff seemed passionate and truly devoted to their cause. The dorming facilities were literally a few minute walk from the main building. Everything in this school seems designed with the students in mind. Dothan itself could not be more welcoming and the proximity to Florida presents itself with a nice option of getaways (I visit Florida at least once every year for vacation with my family). The school is obviously brand new and there is not much established in terms of reputation and student government. I do think there is a lot of potential in being a part of paving the way for the future though. With the guarantee that 3rd and 4th years have already designated rotation sites through AMEC, this kind of assurance is definitely comforting. I also may be mistaken, but I believe that groups of 30 students or so will be stationed at the different sites during these years - which is definitely a plus for me, since camaraderie is something I definitely am seeking in these stressful times. The mention of hospice care and nutrition in the curriculum is one that genuinely interests me. The mandatory (80%) attendance rate is one that I am still unsure about. I rarely missed class in undergrad, however, this is an entirely different beast, and I don't know what the appropriate method of study would be for me in this environment just yet.

Please, if you can, let me know what you think. Is there anything relevant to my concerns that I should know about? Is there anything that you think a person choosing these schools should understand before deciding?

I am currently also waiting to hear back from another school or two (NYITCOM in particular), so I do have this option on the table, but I'd love to hear how these two schools compare.
Any help you could provide would be absolutely appreciated.

I see that this conversation was last year, what did you decide? It seems I will have to make the same decision between DCOM and ACOM in the next couple of weeks. The curriculum is very similar at both schools, but there are some distinct differences that make the decision difficult. Like you, I am not sure how to feel about the non-mandatory attendance policy because I am used to going to all my undergraduate classes. However, life and school is different on this level as you have mentioned. I imagine the freedom could make a big difference in managing the load and quality of life. Not having a ranked class and grades of pass or fail seems like it could be positive and/or negative at DCOM. It helps promote the support system of students and faculty, but I wonder how it may effect matching for residency. I know that some residencies only want students that are high in class rank, but what if there isn't a rank? Does that help in that they only have COMLEX scores to base their judgement on, or does it hurt because it could mean you are lower in what would be your class rank? It is also really cool that ACOM provides a laptop, ipad, electronic books, and pays for COMLEX tests and prep material as a part of tuition. It's hard not to consider the financial differences, especially since those perks would reduce the amount of PLUS loans I would have to take out. Housing for ACOM is another big positive. I didn't get to go see the inside of the apartments that are next to campus, but I assume and heard that they are nice and a good set up that was built for the medical students. The proximity seems like it would be very helpful. I didn't like the "on campus" (a mile or so a way) housing for DCOM and don't imagine I would live there. I know there is another apartment complex somewhere close by that a lot of professional students live, but I did not get a chance to see those either. I really like the idea of being near the mountains and the 50+ miles of trails, which will make continuing to run much easier than in Dothan. Also, Abraham Lincoln is awesome, so there's that. Dothan is definitely a type of town that I am used to living in but I've always wanted to live more in the mountains and it may be a perfect time for that change. I am interested in the extra year fellowship for OPP, which I found out is now offered at both schools. The difference is that DCOM is a masters degree in anatomical sciences but I was told that at ACOM you recieve a masters degree in education. Also at ACOM you have to pay for the masters (~$11k) where as at DCOM it is paid for. It seems that DCOM has much more student organizations/involvement but that's just the vibe I got. I don't know how to feel about this because I don't know how involved I will be able or want to be, if that makes sense. I liked the administration at both schools, and REALLY liked what the OPP professor had to say about osteopathic medicine and using OMT. I'm sure there are more differences on my mind that I have left out but that's it for now. Hope to hear from you or anyone else on this topic soon!

 

[user3]

ACOM has mandatory class attendance, which would be a total deal breaker for me.

I strongly recommend LMU.

 

[Lunzio]

I will totally get to a more in-depth answer next week when we have a little more free time, but long story short:

I chose LMU because I felt more comfortable there and could picture a day-to-day schedule that I was happy with (i.e. class, gym, etc). Many times it feels like we're worked extra hard, but obviously this will only make us better doctors. I genuinely love it here and our professors are ridiculously passionate.

This is a huge decision, don't let anybody tell you otherwise, but you'll know what's right if you just take a step back and think, "is this where I can see myself?"

 

[YesPlease8]

Bumping this again for another year's cycle... I'm in the same situation here. It's a very tough decision for me. Any updates/comments on the schools this year??

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

 

[YesPlease8]

bumpity bump for possible replies

 

[Endorphins98]

I was in the same situation and it boiled down to where I felt better at, and ultimately that was ACOM. I loved DCOM and that was a seriously tough choice to make, and I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience there! It came down to a few things such as location (ACOM is closer to my wife's family) and class size. I was seriously impressed with ACOM too. It just felt like the best fit.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app