Hey everybody, I'm brand new to this forum and I hope some people could help me out. I'm received acceptances at both CCOM and LECOM-B which are my top two choices. I'm having a really difficult time deciding on which school to go to. I live like 20 minutes from CCOM and think that CCOM has a better reputation and chances for better rotations. However, I'm not sure how I feel about spending ALL day in lecture and then all night at the library vs. LECOM's PBL pathway where everything is basically on your own time. Also, the facilities at CCOM were nice but nothing exceptional. I really liked LECOM-B based on the PBL pathway, scores on the board exams, the facilities, the tuition, the area, and the peope were so nice there. Does anyone know the reputation that LECOM has in the medical world?
I would REALLY appreciate any input from current applicants and current students! Thank you so much, and good luck to all in this rigorous process!
That is a tough decision. I am was accepted at both schools last year and had a similiar deicision to make. Although, my decision was between CCOM and PCOM. I think your decision should be based on how you learn best and how you want your life structured the next four years of medical school.
I know that CCOM is lecture based, but I do not believe they have required attendance for class. So, you really don't have to attend class all day if you don't want to. I'm sure they have lectures recorded and a scribe note system. Definitely find out if this is true. The only negative I remember about CCOM is that they have quizzes every monday. They have great rotation sites and a match list that is very strong. Plus, I think you would save money by staying in Chicago seeing as you could live at home if you wanted to do so. CCOM i believe is the 3rd oldest DO medical school in the nation. At the end of the day, you can't beat experience.
As for LECOM-B, it is building a strong reputation, but is still a young school. Their match list is supposedly very good (although I have not seen it). I'm not sure about their rotations though. Seeing as you won't be going on rotations for another three years, this will afford them to build more relationships with hospital and clinics in the area. I was not a big fan of the dress code and the rules about eat and drinking in the building. Plus, I am a big fan of lectures, and seeing as they didn't have lectures for most of their classes, LECOM-B wasn't a good fit for me. The area is beautiful and if you decide that you want to stay there after medical school, the oppurtunity to open a practice would be great. There is a ton of room for development in the area, and if you were interested in Geriatrics I couldn't think of a better area (maybe Arizona) to be practicing medicine.
I hope this helps. I tried to be as objective as possible while offering my experiences. At the end of the day, an osteopathic education is going to be an expensive endevour, so you may not want that to be your #1 reason for choosing a school. Some things to consider:
family and friends, opportunities available at each school, where you see yourself living after medical school, the type of students at the institutions, the professors, research opportunities, clinical rotations, board scores, the type of medicine you want to practice, the type of city you want to practice medicine in (Metropolitan area vs. smaller towns), and last and most importantly, do you think you will truely be happy living there for four years. This last one was a biggy for me and I wish I would have taken this into consideration a lot more. Philadelphia is not nearly as cool/fun as Chicago. Although I am enjoying my time, four years from now I'm sure I'll be itching to get back to Chicago ASAP.
I hope this helps and best of luck in making your decision. At the end of the day, be happy with the decsion you make. Don't let this stress you though. There are thousands of students who are dying to be in your position. Enjoy the opportunity that you have, and feel blessed that you get to make such a great deicision.
