Hi Guys,
So I know it is super late in the game but I still haven't picked which school I am going to. I've done the admin stuff for both schools though but still need to decide where to go and I am extremely confused so I am looking for some input.
Location: I strongly prefer the southern california location since I have always grown up in a big city (I'm from neither socal or arizona) and for some reason I have always wanted to go to LA. However, even if I go to azcom I am doing my rotations in LA so now western only has a slight advantage when it comes to location.
matchlist: I think AZCOM's match is very strong compared to western (which didn't seem that good this year) especially in the past couple of years. What do you guys think and how important is this? I know it depends on yourself, board scores, etc and at this point I am not sure what specialty I want to pursue but I feel that if people are matching into a variety competitive specialties at some pretty big institutions from azcom then this school will give me more options in the future.
research opportunities: I am not too sure which school would provide better options..can others provide more input?
rotations: Again, I am not too sure of which school has the edge on this and would appreciate some input.
board scores: From my interview I remember that AZCOM had an average USMLE score of about 220 and ranked pretty well in the complex compared to other DO schools. I am not sure about Western though, do you guys know how Western does on boards?
Cost: The cost for me will likely be the same since the cheaper tuition cost at western will be balanced by larger cost of living at western.
personal fit: judging from the student body at my interview, I fit in more with the students at western and they seemed more like-minded so in this I give the edge to western.
curriculum: I like the idea of a systems-based curriculum at western but quite a few students at western said they just stopped going to class. This kind of worried me a little and I couldn't tell if this was because the recorded lectures just made them lazy or because the professors aren't that great. The basic traditional curriculum at azcom didn't intrigue me as much but it seemed as though a lot of students went to class which was a good sign (however them not recording lectures is a downer)
As you can tell, I am really all over the place and have many mixed feelings. At the end of the day I want to go to the school that will help make me as competitive as possible for residency. Input is appreciated and thanks in advance!!
So I know it is super late in the game but I still haven't picked which school I am going to. I've done the admin stuff for both schools though but still need to decide where to go and I am extremely confused so I am looking for some input.
Location: I strongly prefer the southern california location since I have always grown up in a big city (I'm from neither socal or arizona) and for some reason I have always wanted to go to LA. However, even if I go to azcom I am doing my rotations in LA so now western only has a slight advantage when it comes to location.
matchlist: I think AZCOM's match is very strong compared to western (which didn't seem that good this year) especially in the past couple of years. What do you guys think and how important is this? I know it depends on yourself, board scores, etc and at this point I am not sure what specialty I want to pursue but I feel that if people are matching into a variety competitive specialties at some pretty big institutions from azcom then this school will give me more options in the future.
research opportunities: I am not too sure which school would provide better options..can others provide more input?
rotations: Again, I am not too sure of which school has the edge on this and would appreciate some input.
board scores: From my interview I remember that AZCOM had an average USMLE score of about 220 and ranked pretty well in the complex compared to other DO schools. I am not sure about Western though, do you guys know how Western does on boards?
Cost: The cost for me will likely be the same since the cheaper tuition cost at western will be balanced by larger cost of living at western.
personal fit: judging from the student body at my interview, I fit in more with the students at western and they seemed more like-minded so in this I give the edge to western.
curriculum: I like the idea of a systems-based curriculum at western but quite a few students at western said they just stopped going to class. This kind of worried me a little and I couldn't tell if this was because the recorded lectures just made them lazy or because the professors aren't that great. The basic traditional curriculum at azcom didn't intrigue me as much but it seemed as though a lot of students went to class which was a good sign (however them not recording lectures is a downer)
As you can tell, I am really all over the place and have many mixed feelings. At the end of the day I want to go to the school that will help make me as competitive as possible for residency. Input is appreciated and thanks in advance!!
Cost of living won't be bad if you have roommates. Both are great schools and matching into a good residency depends on the individual. You said yourself you feel like you would fit in more at Western so go with your gut! Western does record lectures making it easier for students who do not wish to attend lectures every day.
