2020-2021 Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM)

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BoneWizard said:
Can't really rank DO schools like you do MD schools. But it's generally considered that the state DO schools are better than the rest.
Another consideration is that LECOM has significantly lower tuition. Whereas ACOM's tuition has gone up 5% per year like clockwork. They started at $43k and are currently at $55k. LECOM is $36-38k after fees depending on the campus. A couple of us are miffed that despite moving to online lectures our tuition is still going up. LECOM also had something like 10% of all AOA residencies in their LECOMT program.

Unless you really wanted to live in Alabama or be close to the panhandle geographically, I'd go for LECOM especially given the recent tuition increases at ACOM.

For board exams you have to pass a COMSAE with either 500 or 550 (they're still deciding for this year) to be allowed to take Level 1. If you fail to meet the cutoff the first time you get sent to a mandatory in house 2 week lecture review course. If you fail to meet the cutoff a second time you have to take a in person board prep course at your own expense.
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I do agree that Lecom-B has the cheapest tuition rates. However, its because they don't provide much of anything beyond the PBL. VERY few of the non-prominent courses are taught through Didactic lectures which reduces tuition. They don't have on-site housing with a pool and gym that is a 3 minute walk from campus which reduces tuition. They don't have a huge selection of clinical rotation sites whereby its a 1:1 or 1:2 preceptor to student ratio which once again reduces tuition. They don't have a dedicated research room/facility on-site which reduces tuition. They don't provide 4-year prep materials from Uworld, pathoma, sketchy etc... which reduces tuition. They dont provide a laptop (Dell or Mac) with an Ipad which reduces tuition. The list can go on & on. Everything that I just stated that isn't at LECOM-B is actually at ACOM. So please don't be deceived by the lower tuition at LECOM-B because reality is, you get what resources you pay for. At LECOM-B it is pretty much barebones.
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GAMING4FUNN said:
I do agree that Lecom-B has the cheapest tuition rates. However, its because they don't provide much of anything beyond the PBL. VERY few of the non-prominent courses are taught through Didactic lectures which reduces tuition. They don't have on-site housing with a pool and gym that is a 3 minute walk from campus which reduces tuition. They don't have a huge selection of clinical rotation sites whereby its a 1:1 or 1:2 preceptor to student ratio which once again reduces tuition. They don't have a dedicated research room/facility on-site which reduces tuition. They don't provide 4-year prep materials from Uworld, pathoma, sketchy etc... which reduces tuition. They dont provide a laptop (Dell or Mac) with an Ipad which reduces tuition. The list can go on & on. Everything that I just stated that isn't at LECOM-B is actually at ACOM. So please don't be deceived by the lower tuition at LECOM-B because reality is, you get what resources you pay for. At LECOM-B it is pretty much barebones.
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Can't really say anything to PBL as I don't know Lecom's lecture system but having 60% mandatory lectures at ACOM was... not helpful.

The on site housing at Summerfield is about 2x more expensive than apartments ~5-10 mins away and about the same price as renting a house. The "gym" is cramped if there's more than 3 people in there.

ACOM rotations are also mostly 1:1 or 1:2 preceptor based. Lecom also has about 3x the rotation sites.

The research lab has capacity for a dozen students per year.

We got UWORLD but they're no longer paying for COMLEX.
UWORLD/COMBANK/Pathoma is ~$1k. The PC/Mac is ~$1k and the iPad is $500. So $2500 total.

You're going to do fine graduating from either school. I just think lecom's the better value. Especially if ACOM tuition keeps going up 5% a year.
 
BoneWizard said:
Can't really say anything to PBL as I don't know Lecom's lecture system but having 60% mandatory lectures at ACOM was... not helpful.

The on site housing at Summerfield is about 2x more expensive than apartments ~5-10 mins away and about the same price as renting a house. The "gym" is cramped if there's more than 3 people in there.

ACOM rotations are also mostly 1:1 or 1:2 preceptor based. Lecom also has about 3x the rotation sites.

The research lab has capacity for a dozen students per year.

We got UWORLD but they're no longer paying for COMLEX.
UWORLD/COMBANK/Pathoma is ~$1k. The PC/Mac is ~$1k and the iPad is $500. So $2500 total.

You're going to do fine graduating from either school. I just think lecom's the better value. Especially if ACOM tuition keeps going up 5% a year.
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Reynolds said in my interview that there is talk of making attendance not mandatory anymore for upcoming years. How true is this?
 
GAMING4FUNN said:
Just got ACCEPTED to ACOM and I interviewed on 11/20. Yay!

But...having been also accepted to LECOM in Bradenton I am not quite sure exactly where to attend. If anyone has minor comments they can make about why they would just one over the other please make a post. I am going to make a BIG post for a ACOM vs LECOM-Bradenton later today for others to read.
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I am a second year ACOM student would did a master's at the LECOM Bradenton campus, there is a reason I am at ACOM now and it has everything to do with the environment each school harbors.
 
Calizboosted76 said:
Reynolds said in my interview that there is talk of making attendance not mandatory anymore for upcoming years. How true is this?
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Last I heard about a month ago they said some faculty still wants some mandatory lectures. But with the way COVID is going, I do not see in-person mandatory lectures for a while.
 
Calizboosted76 said:
Reynolds said in my interview that there is talk of making attendance not mandatory anymore for upcoming years. How true is this?
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Attendance has been brought up and discussed every single year at ACOM since the school began. It used to be 80% mandatory attendance. Now, it's 60%. Maybe there is hope, but I wouldn't count on it.
 
Real McCoy said:
Attendance has been brought up and discussed every single year at ACOM since the school began. It used to be 80% mandatory attendance. Now, it's 60%. Maybe there is hope, but I wouldn't count on it.
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60% doesn’t sound to bad. So what, are you at school for 3 days a week?

Also can you pick and choose what days to attend lectures?
 
There are events designated as mandatory (usually integrated sessions, TBLs, or guest lecturers). Other than that, you can pick and choose which 60% of lectures you attend in any way that fits your schedule.
 
Calizboosted76 said:
60% doesn’t sound to bad. So what, are you at school for 3 days a week?

Also can you pick and choose what days to attend lectures?
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You're at school minimum 3 days a week. Usually 4-5. It's 60% of non mandatory lectures that you have to show up for but each course has ~10-20% mandatory lectures and they put them in between the non mandatory ones.
 
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Calizboosted76 said:
@Real McCoy @BoneWizard

Wondering how lectures will be for the incoming classes first semester?

How are you guys and gals currently having lecture? Recordings? Or through zoom
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Right now they are through zoom with no mandatory attendance policy with the exception of a few mandatory zoom sessions, usually 2-5 a week. For the incoming class I would expect they go back to normal which was the 60% policy mentioned above. I don't foresee them changing it but I could be wrong.
 
BoneWizard said:
Can't really say anything to PBL as I don't know Lecom's lecture system but having 60% mandatory lectures at ACOM was... not helpful.

The on site housing at Summerfield is about 2x more expensive than apartments ~5-10 mins away and about the same price as renting a house. The "gym" is cramped if there's more than 3 people in there.

ACOM rotations are also mostly 1:1 or 1:2 preceptor based. Lecom also has about 3x the rotation sites.

The research lab has capacity for a dozen students per year.

We got UWORLD but they're no longer paying for COMLEX.
UWORLD/COMBANK/Pathoma is ~$1k. The PC/Mac is ~$1k and the iPad is $500. So $2500 total.

You're going to do fine graduating from either school. I just think lecom's the better value. Especially if ACOM tuition keeps going up 5% a year.
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  • The on-site housing is quite expensive but look at the convenience it provides. To have a on-site housing equipped with a pool and gym for ACOM students ONLY is a huge convenience. We can not have it perfect or close to perfect, of course there might be some negative attributes associated with it, such as a small gym space or expensive housing. I mean I would rather have that than have to find my own gym membership, have to constantly drive to go to campus and back. Also if 60% mandatory lecture is a issue for you then I do not know how much lower you expect it to be. I mean its a medical school and to a certain extent I plan on attending most if not all lectures like I did as an undergraduate.
  • You state the LECOM has about 3x the rotation sites, where did you get that from? Additionally, even if that is the case, assume you are in LECOM-B within Florida, you do realize the other rotation sites are in the north eastern states where the other LECOM campuses are located. Do you want to travel that far for rotations? Seriously? Stating a large value (3x) means nothing when it presents such a dramatic hurdle for the student, especially in the case of LECOM. Most of the ACOM rotations are within the state and they have many options.
  • The research lab has a capacity for a dozen students per year makes no sense when the LECOM-B does not have a proper research webpage. I mean the page on LECOM for Bradenton is so vague, ambiguous, and poorly designed that it feels like they just added the page to fulfill a checklist rather than make a proper page to motivate students for research. LECOM's webpage looks like they just got professional research publications with a handful of researchers just pasted in to fill room. Check both ACOM and LECOM-B's web pages for research and you tell me which one has been properly constructed in a clear and organized manner with a plethora of research options. Research Interests Research - LECOM
  • I do agree that you will do fine at either school but I do not think that LECOM provides better value. There is cheap tuition but no value out of it beyond the PBL. You tell me what else are you getting beyond the PBL that I am not seeing.
 
Are you allowed to purchase your own laptop and Ipad for ACOM? Or do you have to get the ones that ACOM provides? Additionally, are the laptops and Ipad's yours to keep or must you return them after graduating?
 
GAMING4FUNN said:
Are you allowed to purchase your own laptop and Ipad for ACOM? Or do you have to get the ones that ACOM provides? Additionally, are the laptops and Ipad's yours to keep or must you return them after graduating?
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You have to use the ones they give you for any official testing. It's included in your tuition so I don't see why you would still want to get your own. technically they are ACOM property so if you don't graduate you have to give it back. However, the current trend is they give them to you, they used to sell them to you upon graduation for $1, this is an unofficial policy and they wont state it because they don't want you using it for random stuff.
 
Does ACOM require students to sit for practice COMLEX before sitting for the real exam? If so, are students withheld from taking the real COMLEX if they dont pass the practice COMLEX? Thank you
 
GAMING4FUNN said:
Does ACOM require students to sit for practice COMLEX before sitting for the real exam? If so, are students withheld from taking the real COMLEX if they dont pass the practice COMLEX? Thank you
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drstranger said:
yes, they make you take practice exams. I know it's multiple but @Real McCoy probably knows how many. If they get under a certain score on the in-house exam then the student has to attend a mandatory board prep course (paid by that student) during their dedicated board prep. I do not believe they can force you to not take the exam but they will encourage you to postpone if you are not ready.
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added my comments from the other thread so everyone could see the answer
 
GAMING4FUNN said:
Just got ACCEPTED to ACOM and I interviewed on 11/20. Yay!

But...having been also accepted to LECOM in Bradenton I am not quite sure exactly where to attend. If anyone has minor comments they can make about why they would just one over the other please make a post. I am going to make a BIG post for a ACOM vs LECOM-Bradenton later today for others to read.
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Do you mind sharing your stats? Still waiting on hearing back with a R or II
 
@drstranger @Real McCoy
My family wants to buy me some scrubs and a student white coat with it embroidered for Christmas. Are there rules to what gets put on? Does ACOM supply your white coat?
Does color of scrubs matter?
 
Calizboosted76 said:
@drstranger @Real McCoy
My family wants to buy me some scrubs and a student white coat with it embroidered for Christmas. Are there rules to what gets put on? Does ACOM supply your white coat?
Does color of scrubs matter?
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Scrubs don’t matter, the white coats had the school crest on the sleeve and the SE health on the breast; I wouldn’t come with your own coat that’s part of the experience.
 
Beaujordan said:
Has anyone received an ii over the past week or two? I've been on an interview hold since mid-September...
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I was offered an interview on 17 Nov with a 20 Nov interview and was accepted on 24 Nov. Oddly enough I was told my application didn’t meet the requirements for an interview and out of the blue I got a phone call to set one up.
 
Calizboosted76 said:
@drstranger @Real McCoy
My family wants to buy me some scrubs and a student white coat with it embroidered for Christmas. Are there rules to what gets put on? Does ACOM supply your white coat?
Does color of scrubs matter?
Click to expand...
Have them get you an engraved stethoscope if they want something personal since that is something you will need and actually use. It has to be at least a Littman Cardiology IV I would see if the admission department will give you the company they go through so you can get a discount.
 
Anyone know if there are any intramural sports? I know we are going to be swamped with work but I would love to be able to continue with playing sports.
 
Hi from Miami, FL! I was accepted to ACOM and Rocky Vista U- Southern Utah location. Due to ACOM’s location i’m leaning more towards it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on which school to pick. I like the nature aspect of RVUCOM. Overall reputation, quality of life at both schools, or any info that can help would be appreciated !
 
drchanandlerbong said:
Hi from Miami, FL! I was accepted to ACOM and Rocky Vista U- Southern Utah location. Due to ACOM’s location i’m leaning more towards it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on which school to pick. I like the nature aspect of RVUCOM. Overall reputation, quality of life at both schools, or any info that can help would be appreciated !
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I would love to say I know more about RVU however after their incessant emails advising me to apply the Caribbean, they are not a school I would attend.
 
drchanandlerbong said:
Hi from Miami, FL! I was accepted to ACOM and Rocky Vista U- Southern Utah location. Due to ACOM’s location i’m leaning more towards it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on which school to pick. I like the nature aspect of RVUCOM. Overall reputation, quality of life at both schools, or any info that can help would be appreciated !
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Im also a Florida resident and have already committed to ACOM.
 
drchanandlerbong said:
Hi from Miami, FL! I was accepted to ACOM and Rocky Vista U- Southern Utah location. Due to ACOM’s location i’m leaning more towards it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on which school to pick. I like the nature aspect of RVUCOM. Overall reputation, quality of life at both schools, or any info that can help would be appreciated !
Click to expand...

After going to Utah for vacation, I’d probably go there
 
Has anyone ever reached out to the director of admissions here about the status of their application?
 
drchanandlerbong said:
Hi from Miami, FL! I was accepted to ACOM and Rocky Vista U- Southern Utah location. Due to ACOM’s location i’m leaning more towards it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on which school to pick. I like the nature aspect of RVUCOM. Overall reputation, quality of life at both schools, or any info that can help would be appreciated !
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I don't think RVU-SU has graduated a class yet, so there is that to consider
 
drchanandlerbong said:
Hi from Miami, FL! I was accepted to ACOM and Rocky Vista U- Southern Utah location. Due to ACOM’s location i’m leaning more towards it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on which school to pick. I like the nature aspect of RVUCOM. Overall reputation, quality of life at both schools, or any info that can help would be appreciated !
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I was accepted to both during my cycle and while the area surrounding RVU is a nicer place to live, it wasn't worth the extra several thousand per year and the higher COL. The vibe of ACOM was also ten times better than RVU imo, I had concerns of not being able to fall in with a normal crowd of people. Also, there were concerns over competing for rotation spots with other schools near RVU when I was applying, which was another reason I chose ACOM.
 
Diaphragm Dome'r said:
I was accepted to both during my cycle and while the area surrounding RVU is a nicer place to live, it wasn't worth the extra several thousand per year and the higher COL. The vibe of ACOM was also ten times better than RVU imo, I had concerns of not being able to fall in with a normal crowd of people. Also, there were concerns over competing for rotation spots with other schools near RVU when I was applying, which was another reason I chose ACOM.
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this was extremely helpful!! Thank You ! 🙂
 
Does this school approach applications holistically- I.e. good overall app but sub 500 mcat score?
 
Got put on hold today. Oos, 501 Mcat, 3.64 post bacc gpa, complete end of July.
 
Also put on hold. 3.5c, 3.36s with upward trend, 504. Very surprised, I thought I had a good shot at getting an II here. I've also gotten interviews at 2 other schools both with higher average stats
 
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