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PLEASE READ MY ENTIRE POST BEFORE COMMENTING. I know it’s terribly long but I wanted to give you all the information in my head so you could help me out properly.
Background:
Graduated from a UC school in southern California. I graduated last year with a 3.75cGPA and 3.5sGPA. My highest MCAT score (out of two) was a 30. LECOM-Erie was the first school I was accepted to and, due to weird tuition deposit policies, placed my deposit in early December. I have recently been accepted to AZCOM and am now considering switching.
Field of Interest:
Pediatric orthopedic surgery. I can hear many of you giggling and thinking that most people change their interest while in medical school. I am open to all the different branches of medicine but, currently, I am very interested in ortho and want to go to a school that will open as many doors as possible
LECOM-Erie:
Accepted into PBL program. I feel I could do well in the program. My only concern is that a substantial chunk of my GPA (about 75%+) will be determined by just a few exams every semester. Because all the different subject topics are taught under the one big “Problem Based Learning” course umbrella, there is literally no room to do poorly. If you screw up one exam, your GPA takes a massive hit with little room for recovery. Faculty is nonexistent in PBL. You only have one PBL coordinator who’s a PhD and he is your “go-to” person for OMSI and OMSII. Also, no anatomy lab. Don't know the effect of this.
Research is nonexistent. I am currently co-authoring a paper on the effectiveness of using ultrasound to diagnose osteoarthritis and would love the opportunity to continue conducting research in orthopedics while in medical school. Students at LECOM agreed that the PBL pathway afford them the time to be involved but, unfortunately, it looks like neither LECOM nor the hospitals in the area have any research capabilities. If I decide to continue in orthopedics(by 2020), I will possibly be competing against other MD/DO students with robust research experiences.
Erie is boring. I’ve lived in metropolitan cities my entire life and am dreading the 8 months of winter in Erie every year. The closest major city is ~2 hours away.
The cost is awesome. I believe having half the debt of AZCOM will keep the door to primary care open for me if surgery doesn’t work out.
Clinical years: LECOM is affiliated with many hospitals that have surgery and orthopedic surgery residency programs. LECOM students have anywhere from 3 to 5 months of electives (if they play their cards right). I was told by upperclassmen that the clinical curriculum is very flexible and students could do primary care rotations in hospitals with residency programs and “tag along”/”shadow” residents in other departments. LECOM does great in the match as well.
I heard the administration sucks. Well, life sucks in general so how bad can it be?
AZCOM:
Typical, traditional curriculum. Students have the option to take interesting electives. Awesome faculty that seem very involved with campus life and student wellbeing. Beautiful campus.
AZCOM’s proximity to Phoenix opens up some doors at some big medical centers in the region. Not sure, though, if students are encouraged/are successful at taking advantage of these opportunities.
Phoenix is awesome. I could totally see myself living and practicing there. I will also be ~6 hours away from family/support group which would be great.
Clinical curriculum seems lacking. With 250+ students, AZCOM sends students everywhere: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, etc. The only clinical affiliate for AZCOM that has an orthopedic surgery residency is Modesto, CA. I was told I would be required to travel to the main campus at least 4 times during 3rd year to take clinical exams unless they change it by the time I am a third year student. AZCOM is very strict with elective rotations and, unless anything changes, I will have 3 months of electives during my clinical years to do month long audition rotations. Despite this, students from AZCOM also do a great job in the match.
Finally, my greatest concern: the co$t. I plan on starting a family right after school and the idea of burdening them or the thought of delaying my dreams of starting a family because I have $380,000 loans to pay back scares me. It will also make the idea of going into primary care very unattractive. I don’t have all the numbers, but AZCOM, in the long run, will be almost twice as expensive as LECOM.
Basically, like I mentioned earlier, I want to go to a school that will open as many doors as possible. With the ACGME/AOA residency merger, I know many programs will close and it may be more competitive to match in desirable specialties in the future. I know LECOM doesn’t have a good rep with the SDN crowd and am concerned that this could affect my future as well. Are the ritzy, shiny AZCOM buildings with better faculty worth it? Should I just gamble on LECOM and hope everything goes smoothly and the right doors open? Please be honest and kind.
Background:
Graduated from a UC school in southern California. I graduated last year with a 3.75cGPA and 3.5sGPA. My highest MCAT score (out of two) was a 30. LECOM-Erie was the first school I was accepted to and, due to weird tuition deposit policies, placed my deposit in early December. I have recently been accepted to AZCOM and am now considering switching.
Field of Interest:
Pediatric orthopedic surgery. I can hear many of you giggling and thinking that most people change their interest while in medical school. I am open to all the different branches of medicine but, currently, I am very interested in ortho and want to go to a school that will open as many doors as possible
LECOM-Erie:
Accepted into PBL program. I feel I could do well in the program. My only concern is that a substantial chunk of my GPA (about 75%+) will be determined by just a few exams every semester. Because all the different subject topics are taught under the one big “Problem Based Learning” course umbrella, there is literally no room to do poorly. If you screw up one exam, your GPA takes a massive hit with little room for recovery. Faculty is nonexistent in PBL. You only have one PBL coordinator who’s a PhD and he is your “go-to” person for OMSI and OMSII. Also, no anatomy lab. Don't know the effect of this.
Research is nonexistent. I am currently co-authoring a paper on the effectiveness of using ultrasound to diagnose osteoarthritis and would love the opportunity to continue conducting research in orthopedics while in medical school. Students at LECOM agreed that the PBL pathway afford them the time to be involved but, unfortunately, it looks like neither LECOM nor the hospitals in the area have any research capabilities. If I decide to continue in orthopedics(by 2020), I will possibly be competing against other MD/DO students with robust research experiences.
Erie is boring. I’ve lived in metropolitan cities my entire life and am dreading the 8 months of winter in Erie every year. The closest major city is ~2 hours away.
The cost is awesome. I believe having half the debt of AZCOM will keep the door to primary care open for me if surgery doesn’t work out.
Clinical years: LECOM is affiliated with many hospitals that have surgery and orthopedic surgery residency programs. LECOM students have anywhere from 3 to 5 months of electives (if they play their cards right). I was told by upperclassmen that the clinical curriculum is very flexible and students could do primary care rotations in hospitals with residency programs and “tag along”/”shadow” residents in other departments. LECOM does great in the match as well.
I heard the administration sucks. Well, life sucks in general so how bad can it be?
AZCOM:
Typical, traditional curriculum. Students have the option to take interesting electives. Awesome faculty that seem very involved with campus life and student wellbeing. Beautiful campus.
AZCOM’s proximity to Phoenix opens up some doors at some big medical centers in the region. Not sure, though, if students are encouraged/are successful at taking advantage of these opportunities.
Phoenix is awesome. I could totally see myself living and practicing there. I will also be ~6 hours away from family/support group which would be great.
Clinical curriculum seems lacking. With 250+ students, AZCOM sends students everywhere: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, etc. The only clinical affiliate for AZCOM that has an orthopedic surgery residency is Modesto, CA. I was told I would be required to travel to the main campus at least 4 times during 3rd year to take clinical exams unless they change it by the time I am a third year student. AZCOM is very strict with elective rotations and, unless anything changes, I will have 3 months of electives during my clinical years to do month long audition rotations. Despite this, students from AZCOM also do a great job in the match.
Finally, my greatest concern: the co$t. I plan on starting a family right after school and the idea of burdening them or the thought of delaying my dreams of starting a family because I have $380,000 loans to pay back scares me. It will also make the idea of going into primary care very unattractive. I don’t have all the numbers, but AZCOM, in the long run, will be almost twice as expensive as LECOM.
Basically, like I mentioned earlier, I want to go to a school that will open as many doors as possible. With the ACGME/AOA residency merger, I know many programs will close and it may be more competitive to match in desirable specialties in the future. I know LECOM doesn’t have a good rep with the SDN crowd and am concerned that this could affect my future as well. Are the ritzy, shiny AZCOM buildings with better faculty worth it? Should I just gamble on LECOM and hope everything goes smoothly and the right doors open? Please be honest and kind.
