- Joined
- Dec 1, 2011
- Messages
- 21
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- 0
LECOM-Erie - let me start by saying this - I was happy that they accepted me and am appreciative for being in medical school but being a 2nd year now and looking back at my selection I truly regret picking this school. There aren't too many in depth reviews on LECOM-erie and reason probably being many of the students are probably scared to speak their minds for fear of the administration. alright here ya go...
Education: The education here is taught toward the COMLEX - almost too much so in my opinion. They are EXTREMELY concerned about you passing boards but in comes across more for the appearance of the school's reputation rather than actually caring about their students. Anatomy is VERY well taught here and are some of the best professors at LECOM...physiology is awful, just plain bad, immuno is awful and people still don't know it very well. micro is OK but you miss some of the basics because you are rushed through the first micro course early in core your first semester. pharm. is awful and you are pretty much reduced to learning it on your own and nitpicking a few things here and there from certain lectures. biochem is OK but again I feel it is not taught as well as it should be if you are looking to do well on USMLE (not so much COMLEX). Systems --> Neuro (so-so but too rushed and crammed); cardio --> WELL TAUGHT; respiratory --> not well taught; renal --> so-so (physio is involved a fair amount in renal so hence poorly taught in that regard which affects learning the other aspects); haven't taken GI, derm, or endocrine so can't speak to those yet.
OMM is HIGHLY focused on at Lecom-Erie -- you have lab EVERY wednesday with a POSSIBLE practical usually every other week and its random - which becomes highly annoying for those who don't get called towards the end and very frustrating. but, works out well for those who go first and then don't have to study for the other ones until the next round of people get called...again many students look at this as unfair and a very inefficient way of testing but it is what it is. extremely annoying class and lab when you are barraged with tests and quizzes all the time in your typical classes...you basically waste a night of studying for OMM on tuesday nights if you can get a practical on wednesday.
Administration: The administration is by far my biggest complaint and many student's will agree (not all of course). There is a rift between the administration and students. They say they work for their students but the fact is they care more about their own reputation then they do about their students. It is ALL about the LECOM brandname. They rule with an iron fist and work by scaring their students into doing things out of fear. Don't even get me started on Clinical Ed's lack of helpfulness when it comes to picking rotations...yeh yeh we get to pick our rotations in a lot of different places yada yada...but when you go through the actual rotation picking process -- the process can be an absolute nightmare for some people and becomes very cumbersome.
There is a dress code and its not awful...but does become sometimes annoying especially when you have to change out of your dress clothes into anatomy/lab clothes and then back into dress clothes. just becomes a nuisance on some days.
Security is UNBELIEVABLE! Think badging in everywhere (in and out), no ID badge and a test on that day - SORRY - go get your ID badge. They don't care if they have seen you a million times before. They take their jobs WAY to seriously...whether this from the administration or the security - who knows but it is ridiculous. Oh yeh, studying late at night in the freezer of their cafeteria - you are not allowed to wear your hoodie up even after hours (dress code doesn't apply after 5:30 during weekdays).
Rumors also circulate that they manipulate grades. Some people think that if you are borderline passing but you earn a barely passing grade that they actually will fail you...say you earned a 70 or 71 - barely passing. You get your score report and somehow you failed according to the score report...many people have asked to then see their scantron or quizzes or whatever to review and they are DENIED being able to look at them. Fortunately, I have not cut it this close but this has happened to a few of my friends...there are multiple other occasions where it appears they manipulate grades to their liking...which just unnerves some people. Not saying its definitely true but yeh.
They run the school like a business - I know they are not a "for profit" med school but its hard to describe unless you go here the feel you get when you are here. Some people may like that feeling and some may not. You feel like you are being churned out as a "foot-soldier" in the medical field rather than someone who can be different and go above and beyond...that is not to say you can't but sometimes you just get that feeling.
Hmmm, lets see what else - tests are usually every Monday - so pretty much destroys your weekends if your in LDP pathway. LECOM is kind of wasting your time when you could be using that time instead for studying. LDP gets essentially 2 weeks to study for boards without classes being involved...so that sort of stinks for some people.
I could go on and on - there are just too many things to honestly write down...it boils down to the school feels very oppressive and administration is not very friendly. education is so-so - Yes a lot of people PASS their boards -- but I would hope you would PASS...they don't say how well people do on their boards though openly. I would hope the majority don't just barely pass.
I am sure I will get flamed by some people as being a disgruntled med student or whatever but fact is I appreciate LECOM-erie for accepting me and giving me the opportunity...they are oppressive, multiple courses are taught very very poorly, high turnover of staff, administration is not very friendly or helpful (clin ed is almost non-existent in rotation picking and very unfriendly in that regard), run like a business, tests and quizzes basically at least every other day (obviously not all the time but 90%). Again, believe me or not - doesn't matter to me but just wish someone had put this sort of information out there before I had made my decision on lecom because I would have 100% chosen somewhere else or not gone to med school. I will follow this all up with that I feel I have learned a lot and have been taught certain things very well but major holes/gaps in a fair amount of topics/subjects.
again, take my advice for what its worth - i know some people LOVE LECOM and some people absolutely despise it. I am more in the middle but lean more away from the love of LECOM. I just can't take the oppressive feeling of the school and the way many of the classes are taught. Hard to describe unless your here. feel free to ask me a direct question and I can try to answer it.
Education: The education here is taught toward the COMLEX - almost too much so in my opinion. They are EXTREMELY concerned about you passing boards but in comes across more for the appearance of the school's reputation rather than actually caring about their students. Anatomy is VERY well taught here and are some of the best professors at LECOM...physiology is awful, just plain bad, immuno is awful and people still don't know it very well. micro is OK but you miss some of the basics because you are rushed through the first micro course early in core your first semester. pharm. is awful and you are pretty much reduced to learning it on your own and nitpicking a few things here and there from certain lectures. biochem is OK but again I feel it is not taught as well as it should be if you are looking to do well on USMLE (not so much COMLEX). Systems --> Neuro (so-so but too rushed and crammed); cardio --> WELL TAUGHT; respiratory --> not well taught; renal --> so-so (physio is involved a fair amount in renal so hence poorly taught in that regard which affects learning the other aspects); haven't taken GI, derm, or endocrine so can't speak to those yet.
OMM is HIGHLY focused on at Lecom-Erie -- you have lab EVERY wednesday with a POSSIBLE practical usually every other week and its random - which becomes highly annoying for those who don't get called towards the end and very frustrating. but, works out well for those who go first and then don't have to study for the other ones until the next round of people get called...again many students look at this as unfair and a very inefficient way of testing but it is what it is. extremely annoying class and lab when you are barraged with tests and quizzes all the time in your typical classes...you basically waste a night of studying for OMM on tuesday nights if you can get a practical on wednesday.
Administration: The administration is by far my biggest complaint and many student's will agree (not all of course). There is a rift between the administration and students. They say they work for their students but the fact is they care more about their own reputation then they do about their students. It is ALL about the LECOM brandname. They rule with an iron fist and work by scaring their students into doing things out of fear. Don't even get me started on Clinical Ed's lack of helpfulness when it comes to picking rotations...yeh yeh we get to pick our rotations in a lot of different places yada yada...but when you go through the actual rotation picking process -- the process can be an absolute nightmare for some people and becomes very cumbersome.
There is a dress code and its not awful...but does become sometimes annoying especially when you have to change out of your dress clothes into anatomy/lab clothes and then back into dress clothes. just becomes a nuisance on some days.
Security is UNBELIEVABLE! Think badging in everywhere (in and out), no ID badge and a test on that day - SORRY - go get your ID badge. They don't care if they have seen you a million times before. They take their jobs WAY to seriously...whether this from the administration or the security - who knows but it is ridiculous. Oh yeh, studying late at night in the freezer of their cafeteria - you are not allowed to wear your hoodie up even after hours (dress code doesn't apply after 5:30 during weekdays).
Rumors also circulate that they manipulate grades. Some people think that if you are borderline passing but you earn a barely passing grade that they actually will fail you...say you earned a 70 or 71 - barely passing. You get your score report and somehow you failed according to the score report...many people have asked to then see their scantron or quizzes or whatever to review and they are DENIED being able to look at them. Fortunately, I have not cut it this close but this has happened to a few of my friends...there are multiple other occasions where it appears they manipulate grades to their liking...which just unnerves some people. Not saying its definitely true but yeh.
They run the school like a business - I know they are not a "for profit" med school but its hard to describe unless you go here the feel you get when you are here. Some people may like that feeling and some may not. You feel like you are being churned out as a "foot-soldier" in the medical field rather than someone who can be different and go above and beyond...that is not to say you can't but sometimes you just get that feeling.
Hmmm, lets see what else - tests are usually every Monday - so pretty much destroys your weekends if your in LDP pathway. LECOM is kind of wasting your time when you could be using that time instead for studying. LDP gets essentially 2 weeks to study for boards without classes being involved...so that sort of stinks for some people.
I could go on and on - there are just too many things to honestly write down...it boils down to the school feels very oppressive and administration is not very friendly. education is so-so - Yes a lot of people PASS their boards -- but I would hope you would PASS...they don't say how well people do on their boards though openly. I would hope the majority don't just barely pass.
I am sure I will get flamed by some people as being a disgruntled med student or whatever but fact is I appreciate LECOM-erie for accepting me and giving me the opportunity...they are oppressive, multiple courses are taught very very poorly, high turnover of staff, administration is not very friendly or helpful (clin ed is almost non-existent in rotation picking and very unfriendly in that regard), run like a business, tests and quizzes basically at least every other day (obviously not all the time but 90%). Again, believe me or not - doesn't matter to me but just wish someone had put this sort of information out there before I had made my decision on lecom because I would have 100% chosen somewhere else or not gone to med school. I will follow this all up with that I feel I have learned a lot and have been taught certain things very well but major holes/gaps in a fair amount of topics/subjects.
again, take my advice for what its worth - i know some people LOVE LECOM and some people absolutely despise it. I am more in the middle but lean more away from the love of LECOM. I just can't take the oppressive feeling of the school and the way many of the classes are taught. Hard to describe unless your here. feel free to ask me a direct question and I can try to answer it.