DCOM vs CCOM

[IsitMarchYet99]

I need some more insight as far as the pros and cons of Debusk versus Midwestern, other than the expensive tuition at Midwestern what are people's thoughts on the two schools?

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[DO2015CA]

CCOM. its worth the tuition when comparing it to DCOM.

 

[mathnerd88]

I need some more insight as far as the pros and cons of Debusk versus Midwestern, other than the expensive tuition at Midwestern what are people's thoughts on the two schools?

Yeah, I would have chosen CCOM. More established school, close to a major city, etc.

 

[AlteredScale]

ccom


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[Ioannes Paulus]

@AlteredScale @DO2015CA
Would you two still recommend CCOM if you knew the students who will be matriculating in Fall 2016 who are not living with parents are borrowing $92k from the federal government and the school has already agreed to raise the tuition by 6% next year?
To the OP, you will be a DO from either DCOM or CCOM. It's not worth the insane debt. The CCOM name doesn't take you as far as what people on this site like to believe.

 

[0dee]

OP, if you're mainly interested in primary care then you should go to DCOM, but if you want to do any kind of speciality then CCOM would be a better fit for you. I would personally choose CCOM, but I don't factor tuition into my consideration, but to some it might be the main determining factor.

 

[0dee]

@AlteredScale @DO2015CA
Would you two still recommend CCOM if you knew the students who will be matriculating in Fall 2016 who are not living with parents are borrowing $92k from the federal government and the school has already agreed to raise the tuition by 6% next year?
To the OP, you will be a DO from either DCOM or CCOM. It's not worth the insane debt. The CCOM name doesn't take you as far as what people on this site like to believe.

How did you come up with 92k? My own best friend goes to this school and she manages to survive with 78k of loans a year. She also lives by herself, no roommates, so if she had a roommate it would be cheaper for her. The area around CCOM is not that expensive.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

CCOM, the rotations alone are worth the debt

 

[DO2015CA]

@AlteredScale @DO2015CA
Would you two still recommend CCOM if you knew the students who will be matriculating in Fall 2016 who are not living with parents are borrowing $92k from the federal government and the school has already agreed to raise the tuition by 6% next year?
To the OP, you will be a DO from either DCOM or CCOM. It's not worth the insane debt. The CCOM name doesn't take you as far as what people on this site like to believe.

Yes if you look back to any of my past posts when comparing CCOM or AZCOM I tell them to go to the other. But DCOMs rotations have been stressed and with the increased class size it's not worth it

 

[Ioannes Paulus]

Yes if you look back to any of my past posts when comparing CCOM or AZCOM I tell them to go to the other. But DCOMs rotations have been stressed and with the increased class size it's not worth it

Okay. That's a fair explanation.
Sometimes some people are really caught up in these brands but don't look into the other factors. I'm in CCOM's accepted students facebook group and its so difficult to watch some of these students (many of whom have families) try to figure out how to decrease the $102k estimated cost of attendance. Luckily most students it seems are able to bring it down to $90k which I still think is crazy.

 

[DO2015CA]

Okay. That's a fair explanation.
Sometimes some people are really caught up in these brands but don't look into the other factors. I'm in CCOM's accepted students facebook group and its so difficult to watch some of these students (many of whom have families) try to figure out how to decrease the $102k estimated cost of attendance. Luckily most students it seems are able to bring it down to $90k which I still think is crazy.

Yes definitely go with the cheaper route and a DO is a DO is a DO. I went to a cheaper option compared an other more established school because this place was 8k cheaper and their rotations fabulous

 

[Ioannes Paulus]

How did you come up with 92k? My own best friend goes to this school and she manages to survive with 78k of loans a year. She also lives by herself, no roommates, so if she had a roommate it would be cheaper for her. The area around CCOM is not that expensive.

Tuition goes up ~6% every year or ~$4k. This year's tuition is $67,000. Housing in Downer's grove, especially near campus isn't cheap. Let's add about $15k for housing and food (which is a very conservative estimate for Downer's grove living). Insurance is another $3k. If you don't have a car with 4 wheel drive you need a new car. Personal and incidental fees you can easily see how it goes up to $88-90k a year. You're looking at over $500k in debt by the time you graduate with interest and assuming no previous debt. Lord have mercy of you go into primary care after that. Historically more than half of CCOM grads go into primary.

I think CCOM is one of the best DO schools in the country, hands down. But, even at that, I'm sorry, the $500k+ investment isn't justified when you will most likely go into primary care.

 

[WalkingCorpse]

DCOM still hasn't figured out 3rd/4th year rotations. Not worth it. Pick CCOM.


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[swiftjab]

Tuition goes up ~6% every year or ~$4k. This year's tuition is $67,000. Housing in Downer's grove, especially near campus isn't cheap. Let's add about $15k for housing and food (which is a very conservative estimate for Downer's grove living). Insurance is another $3k. If you don't have a car with 4 wheel drive you need a new car. Personal and incidental fees you can easily see how it goes up to $88-90k a year. You're looking at over $500k in debt by the time you graduate with interest and assuming no previous debt. Lord have mercy of you go into primary care after that. Historically more than half of CCOM grads go into primary.

I think CCOM is one of the best DO schools in the country, hands down. But, even at that, I'm sorry, the $500k+ investment isn't justified when you will most likely go into primary care.

Exactly! If the cost difference was a mere 4-5 k a year, then I would agree with going to the school with better rotations. Better rotations aren't worth 20-30k a year. Most of DCOM's rotations really aren't bad.

 

[68PGunner]

Go to the cheaper option if the difference is over $100K over 4 years. CCOM isn't that special.

 

[68PGunner]

Tuition goes up ~6% every year or ~$4k. This year's tuition is $67,000. Housing in Downer's grove, especially near campus isn't cheap. Let's add about $15k for housing and food (which is a very conservative estimate for Downer's grove living). Insurance is another $3k. If you don't have a car with 4 wheel drive you need a new car. Personal and incidental fees you can easily see how it goes up to $88-90k a year. You're looking at over $500k in debt by the time you graduate with interest and assuming no previous debt. Lord have mercy of you go into primary care after that. Historically more than half of CCOM grads go into primary.

I think CCOM is one of the best DO schools in the country, hands down. But, even at that, I'm sorry, the $500k+ investment isn't justified when you will most likely go into primary care.

I grew up in Chicago. A conservative estimate for Downer Grove's housing and food is about $20K. Yes, the COA is probably 100K 1st year, 110K 2nd year, 120K 3rd year, and 130 K 4th year. That's about 500K loan coming into your residency.

On interest alone, you will need to pay about 6.5% which is 32-33K a year.

Assuming a 52K salary during residency, you will need to pay 5% state tax, 15% federal tax, and another 7-8% for FICA. You will be lucky to take home 33-34K. ROFL. Let's be real here. Your residency salary is only going to be enough to pay for your interest payment. Looking at these numbers, you might as well quit medical school and look for other professions.

 

[t5Nitro]

How did you come up with 92k? My own best friend goes to this school and she manages to survive with 78k of loans a year. She also lives by herself, no roommates, so if she had a roommate it would be cheaper for her. The area around CCOM is not that expensive.

One of my friends is finishing first year there and took out 90k this year. It is an expensive place, but I'd choose it between the two. It would be hard to imagine taking that kind of a loan, however.

 

[MADD!!!]

For those that say choosing CCOM over DCOM is a better choice due to rotations, is that because the better rotation sites will help land you a better (or more competitive) residency? Or is it because it will give you a better education? If it's the latter, then it's basically assuming that all graduates of CCOM > DCOM graduates by virtue of the medical school they want to, which is invalid in my opinion.

On the same note, from the information I've gathered it seems that how well of a Physician an individual becomes it based mainly on his/her efforts in medical school as opposed to the specific medical school and/or rotation sites they were educated at. If I'm missing something here (and I feel like I am) someone please chime in and correct me, as I am learning more about this too.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

For those that say choosing CCOM over DCOM is a better choice due to rotations, is that because the better rotation sites will help land you a better (or more competitive) residency? Or is it because it will give you a better education? If it's the latter, then it's basically assuming that all graduates of CCOM > DCOM graduates by virtue of the medical school they want to, which is invalid in my opinion.

On the same note, from the information I've gathered it seems that how well of a Physician an individual becomes it based mainly on his/her efforts in medical school as opposed to the specific medical school and/or rotation sites they were educated at. If I'm missing something here (and I feel like I am) someone please chime in and correct me, as I am learning more about this too.

Nah it's the first one. CCOM can potentially put you on a better situation for a more competative residency. For someone who really wants to explore competative fields then CCOM could provide a benefit as their OPTI has residencies in all fields, which could also help matching in these fields. Now that isn't to say DCOM can't get someone to a competative residency that has the app and the drive, exhibited by their ACGME ortho match this year.

 

[Ioannes Paulus]

Nah it's the first one. CCOM can potentially put you on a better situation for a more competative residency. For someone who really wants to explore competative fields then CCOM could provide a benefit as their OPTI has residencies in all fields, which could also help matching in these fields. Now that isn't to say DCOM can't get someone to a competative residency that has the app and the drive, exhibited by their ACGME ortho match this year.

Nope. By the time you and the OP graduate, CCOM's OPTI will be open to MD students as well. CCOM's Neurosurgery and Urology residencies interviewed MD students this year and the merger hasn't even happened yet. That's how competitive Chicago residencies are. UIChicago and Loyola have taken residents from WesternCOMP, RVU, and KCUMB these past few years so this notion of CCOM students having a leg up during interviews is probably false. These programs will probably interview only the best DO students irregardless of which school they come from.

I grew up in Chicago. A conservative estimate for Downer Grove's housing and food is about $20K. Yes, the COA is probably 100K 1st year, 110K 2nd year, 120K 3rd year, and 130 K 4th year. That's about 500K loan coming into your residency.

On interest alone, you will need to pay about 6.5% which is 32-33K a year.

Assuming a 52K salary during residency, you will need to pay 5% state tax, 15% federal tax, and another 7-8% for FICA. You will be lucky to take home 33-34K. ROFL. Let's be real here. Your residency salary is only going to be enough to pay for your interest payment. Looking at these numbers, you might as well quit medical school and look for other professions.

Ouch! Very scary. I'm borrowing a little less than $65k and even that I think is crazy. If you have family or a partner that lives in Chicago and can cover the housing/food bills, than CCOM is probably doable but for that OOS students it's crazy and only going to get worse. Consider that the MWU Dentistry Schoolhas is $72k for tuition alone. It wouldn't shock me if the DO school gets there soon too.

For those that say choosing CCOM over DCOM is a better choice due to rotations, is that because the better rotation sites will help land you a better (or more competitive) residency? Or is it because it will give you a better education? If it's the latter, then it's basically assuming that all graduates of CCOM > DCOM graduates by virtue of the medical school they want to, which is invalid in my opinion.

On the same note, from the information I've gathered it seems that how well of a Physician an individual becomes it based mainly on his/her efforts in medical school as opposed to the specific medical school and/or rotation sites they were educated at. If I'm missing something here (and I feel like I am) someone please chime in and correct me, as I am learning more about this too.

Both. Definitely both. If you are lucky and rotate at Cook County, most of your clinical professors will have joint appointments with University of Illinois at Chicago. We were told that most of these faculty members also have active clinical projects that CCOM students also participate in. CCOM is also one of the few schools in the country that require students to return to the main campus for didactics. So all the OB students come to campus on Monday afternoons for a lecture and all surgery students come to campus on Tuesday for a lecture, etc. This makes for a very comprehensive clinical education which, if you use the resources wisely, get you some great LORs from recognizable clinicians. Great clinical experience. No one doubts that. But, again, the trade-off is a very antiquated pre-clinical curriculum with students scoring at the national average and only half the students taking the USMLE despite having the most competitive admission stats in the nation for a DO school. So you have to look at the whole package and decide if it is worth it, what your goals are and where you see yourself in the future.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Nope. By the time you and the OP graduate, CCOM's OPTI will be open to MD students as well. CCOM's Neurosurgery and Urology residencies interviewed MD students this year and the merger hasn't even happened yet. That's how competitive Chicago residencies are. UIChicago and Loyola have taken residents from WesternCOMP, RVU, and KCUMB these past few years so this notion of CCOM students having a leg up during interviews is probably false. These programs will probably interview only the best DO students irregardless of which school they come from.

1st: The fact that the programs they are open to MDs is completely inconsequential to offering the opportunity to CCOMs students to rotate through and get exposure to the field, get LORs from known people, have a home program. Having a home program, the OPTI should effectively function as such, is a big leg up when it comes to possibly matching these competative specialties due to networking, LORs, etc.

2nd: this means absolutely nothing. Its like saying "oh look Mass Gen Surgery took some people from Yale, Columbia, and Duke, that must mean that Harvard students don't have an advantage applying there. Just because these programs took great students from other schools doesn't mean that someone applying from the known school next door doesn't have a small advantage when all other things are equal.

3rd: they will probably match the best DO students, as they already do. I agree.

 

[Rekt]

It's always funny to see the pre-meds saying to go to the "better" school and the med students telling you to take the cheaper option. Both schools match >50% primary care and with both schools you're still getting ****ed by the merger.

Welcome to reality.

 

[DO2015CA]

.

 

[DO2015CA]

For those that say choosing CCOM over DCOM is a better choice due to rotations, is that because the better rotation sites will help land you a better (or more competitive) residency? Or is it because it will give you a better education? If it's the latter, then it's basically assuming that all graduates of CCOM > DCOM graduates by virtue of the medical school they want to, which is invalid in my opinion.

On the same note, from the information I've gathered it seems that how well of a Physician an individual becomes it based mainly on his/her efforts in medical school as opposed to the specific medical school and/or rotation sites they were educated at. If I'm missing something here (and I feel like I am) someone please chime in and correct me, as I am learning more about this too.

It's for both. A better education=better auditioning=better matching. To say that's not true is crazy because clinical rotations is what separate MD and DO schools. No DO schools will not get you a better residency, but ones that know what they are doing will give you the tools for you to get it yourself.

It's impossible to audition well if your clinicals we all in private offices and glorified shadowing

 

[68PGunner]

It's for both. A better education=better auditioning=better matching. To say that's not true is crazy because clinical rotations is what separate MD and DO schools. No DO schools will not get you a better residency, but ones that know what they are doing will give you the tools for you to get it yourself.

It's impossible to audition well if your clinicals we all in private offices and glorified shadowing

DCOM puts one of its students in a ACGME ortho match. I'm just going to assume that their clinicals are definitely not glorified shadowing. Good luck to your 500K debt. You're going to need it when you go into primary care.

 

[DO2015CA]

DCOM puts one of its students in a ACGME ortho match. I'm just going to assume that their clinicals are definitely not glorified shadowing. Good luck to your 500K debt. You're going to need it when you go into primary care.

LOL I don't go to CCOM I chose a cheaper option that also has solid rotations. I wasn't referring to DCOM specifically, but rather the sketchy rotations at a lot of schools. Someone asked why one would choose CCOM>DCOM. I in the end went with the cheaper option because I do want to do rural primary care.

ACGME ortho is an amazing match but saying that DCOM made that is far out there. I had 1 guy play professional baseball from my high school, does that mean everyone should flock to my high school in order to get their shot at playing? No, go where it has be proven. Like someone stated above, CCOM has its own OPTI with specialties. This means their students will have the exposure to uro and neuro during rotations if they wish to. Home programs are where you will have the best shot matching into competitive specialities. Yes, those programs will continue to take the rockstars from all over the country, but having the FaceTime with them is an advantage.

 

[68PGunner]

LOL I don't go to CCOM I chose a cheaper option that also has solid rotations. I wasn't referring to DCOM specifically, but rather the sketchy rotations at a lot of schools. Someone asked why one would choose CCOM>DCOM. I in the end went with the cheaper option because I do want to do rural primary care.

ACGME ortho is an amazing match but saying that DCOM made that is far out there. I had 1 guy play professional baseball from my high school, does that mean everyone should flock to my high school in order to get their shot at playing? No, go where it has be proven. Like someone stated above, CCOM has its own OPTI with specialties. This means their students will have the exposure to uro and neuro during rotations if they wish to. Home programs are where you will have the best shot matching into competitive specialities. Yes, those programs will continue to take the rockstars from all over the country, but having the FaceTime with them is an advantage.

which anyone can do by setting up their audition rounds.

 

[Henry101]

First off, if you are still in college or haven't even applied to med school yet, I'm sorry, but you really do not have the perspective or experience to give advice on a question like this.

I'd go to DCOM. I don't know what ya'll are talking about when you say it's easier to get into a more competitive specialty coming out of CCOM. Historically, a larger proportion of DCOM have gone into non-primary care fields than CCOM.
To the OP: I know what you're going through. I fell in love with CCOM during my interview. The location, the buildings, etc. But the pre-clinical curriculum isn't strong and the dropping step scores reflect that. The clinical curriculum is one of the best in the country (for MD and DO schools) but is it worth $400k in debt? NO.
I can only recommend CCOM if you have a partner/spouse/family in Chicago that can cover the housing costs fully.
Both are excellent schools. Good luck with your decision.

 

[AlteredScale]

First off, if you are still in college or haven't even applied to med school yet, I'm sorry, but you really do not have the perspective or experience to give advice on a question like this.

I'd go to DCOM. I don't know what ya'll are talking about when you say it's easier to get into a more competitive specialty coming out of CCOM. Historically, a larger proportion of DCOM have gone into non-primary care fields than CCOM.
To the OP: I know what you're going through. I fell in love with CCOM during my interview. The location, the buildings, etc. But the pre-clinical curriculum isn't strong and the dropping step scores reflect that. The clinical curriculum is one of the best in the country (for MD and DO schools) but is it worth $400k in debt? NO.
I can only recommend CCOM if you have a partner/spouse/family in Chicago that can cover the housing costs fully.
Both are excellent schools. Good luck with your decision.

What are the average step scores from DCOM? (Usmle and comlex) and do you have anything on paper showing that the majority of DCOM students are going into non PC specialties?


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[DO2015CA]

And I was unaware any of us putting our input in weren't medstudents

 

[Rekt]

What are the average step scores from DCOM? (Usmle and comlex) and do you have anything on paper showing that the majority of DCOM students are going into non PC specialties?


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http://www.lmunet.edu/uploads/_dcom/pdfs/2016-residency-placement-by-location.pdf.pdf

Looks like a prototypical match list to me. Not bad, but not amazing, so a DO school that isn't Liberty.

 

[67552931811]

Honestly, If you are living off campus then I don't think ccom is worth it. Amazing rotations 'n' all. I have friends who go there and they love but they all live at home and commute (thus saving tons of cash).

I know everyone thinks they are going to be top 10% of their class and bust out a 250 step but, statistically, it won't be you (just the facts). With that, the majority of students from DO school go into PC fields (read: fields, not necessarily specialities). Graduating med school with close to 400K at ~7% consolidated interest rate is insane. You must consider how much that will balloon during a 3-4 res and possibly a 2-3 year fellowship. That sucker could be close to, if not more, than 600K. That IS NUTS.

Choose wisely.