Hello
@DOMore ! So about dat tuition... are you taking out loans or are you a part of a program with loan forgiveness/payment (e.g. HPSP)? Are you planning on any sort of loan forgiveness program post-graduation? Do you have any idea why the tuition is so god awful? I love this school I just... am $ad
To be completely honest, I have an arrangement with my father regarding tuition at CCOM and am not taking any federal loans. I know we have access to a Graduate PLUS loan and an unsubsidized federal Stafford loan (read this article for more information on the two:
http://www.usnews.com/education/bes...rs-about-graduate-plus-loans-before-borrowing). Basically the Stafford loan has a lower interest rate (5.84% vs 6.84 for the Graduate PLUS), which is obviously preferable, but unfortunately doesn't cover the full tuition (only about 2/3). As I understand it, most students are either taking the full Stafford loan and then paying the remaining balance with the Graduate PLUS loan, or they're doing what I just said but with a bigger Graduate PLUS loan for living expenses, or they're just taking the Stafford loan and paying the remaining balance out of pocket (around 20,000 over 3 "quarters"). A few of my classmates have taken scholarships from the U.S. Army (
http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/education/hpsp.html), and even fewer are paying out of pocket. In terms of why the tuition is so high - in my opinion it's not just one thing. I promise you'd feel like you're getting your money's worth. Our facilities are state of the art, and our professors are incredible (Midwestern University has a reputation in Academia and amongst scientists for being one of the best places to work in the country
https://www.midwestern.edu/Documents/Communications/Vital Signs Fall 11.pdf). Coming from a really cheap public school for undergrad, the difference is astounding. I still get amazed at how amazing CCOM is a quarter and a half into my first year. Heck, even the testing center proctors are amazing! You'll walk in worried about the huge anatomy exam you're about to take, but you'll still be smiling the entire time because of the staff and how they do their job. I have 19 friends from undergrad scattered amongst different Chicagoland medical schools (Rush, UIC, Loyola), and not to bash on any of those schools per say, but it's quite clear that amongst all of my friends, I'm the happiest with where I am. Furthermore, we've had 100% residency match rates for years, from neurosurgery to dermatology, and I've heard that this is at least partially due to contracts that the school has with the plethora of Illinois teaching hospitals, and our tuition pays for that in part. CCOM also has a very rich and respected history, especially in terms of Osteopathic medicine, and I have to assume that the name and history of the school is part of the reason for the price. I know other old 5 schools charge less, but I think the point is still valid. I could go on and on about all the little things that make this school truly incredible, and to me all those things together make this school well worth it. That being said, a lot of people are going to be faced with a choice, and if you can conclude that a CCOM education will take you to the exact same place a _______ education will, and ________ is cheaper, then of course you should say "no thank you" to CCOM. I'm also saying that if you're faced with that choice, and you end up choosing CCOM, you wouldn't regret it
