.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.
potatoesandmolasses said:
Hello everyone! I am very torn with this decision and would appreciate any and all help deciding between these two schools. For reference, I was accepted to CCOM in December and received a scholarship that will cover half of the tuition cost. This week I got an acceptance to Belmont and as excited as I am, I'm not sure what the right decision is here.

CCOM Pros:
  • Close to family (my spouse and I are expecting a child in a few months)
  • Tuition is $42k/year with 4-year scholarship
CCOM Cons:
  • DO school so OMM, COMLEX, and bias (I am interested in a competitive specialty)
  • No home program for specialty I am interested in
Belmont Pros:
  • MD school
  • Smaller class size (50)
Belmont Cons:
  • Far from family (7 hour drive)
  • Tuition is $63k/year (received $19k scholarship for first year only)
  • No reputation with inaugural class
I've set my expectation to attend CCOM until this week and I'm just not sure which option to go with. Is it possible to negotiate a DO scholarship for an MD school?
Click to expand...
Try negotiating but I feel CCOM would be better for your family situation with a child on the way!
 
*Disclaimer* was a Belmont WLer but withdrew.

If you're deadset on plastics/derm/neuro surgery I'd say, Belmont. But you have a kid and family and things will change, so being close to home at least to me would be important. The price is also big enough to consider. Personally, since I'm young and single I'd choose Belmont since I want to leave the doors open for plastics. But if I was in your shoes with a kid, I'd say CCOM. It's a good school (very good match list), cheaper, and closer to family. You also have the advantage if you want to match in Illinois going to CCOM. I don't think Belmont's inaugural class will match any better than CCOM for most specialties. Also, the pains of DO (comlex) will be similar to the pains of being an inaugural class, this isn't as easy as choosing an established MD vs DO, there are some reasonable pros to CCOM in this case. I can't say what you want to do, but weigh what you want to focus on in life (medicine/prestige or family). Most SDNers are gunners so they will say MD over DO, but at the end of the day, most of us won't make it to Harvard Plastics.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
in this situation, if i was playing devils advocate, i would say CCOM is probably best for your family and child. Having parents close to you when you are that young is incredible and can help out a lot.

with that being said, yes belmont being an MD can open more doors for you, but you have to assess whether it's worth it for you and your family.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top