ACOM vs KCOM

[kdrama123]

Finally made an account cause I have an extremely hard decision to make and was hoping for some advice! The biggest worry I have about ACOM is that it is still new and hasn't graduated a class yet. For KCOM I am worried I will have a hard time adjusting to the small town( I am from Houston), also it would be significantly more money to attend KCOM.

ACOM

Pros-
Established rotation sites (about 10 years old) in Alabama
Good board prep
- COMSAE practice tests from first year on
- First Aid prep book provided
- Pay for 1st attempt at COMLEX 1 and COMLEX 2 (written)
DO/MBA & DO/MPH options
Location- near Florida beaches
New facilities
Laptop & iPad mini included in tuition

Cons-
No graduating class = no match list
80% attendance mandatory
Mandatory dress code- business casual or scrubs


KCOM

Pros-
established school- 1st DO
close/cheap housing
ultrasound curriculum
board style tests

Cons-
small town ~17,000 people
no more exam reviews

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[just_SAIYAN]

I would probably pick KCOM and here's my reasoning for what it's worth, both towns (Kirksville and Dothan are smaller and probably not the most desirable places to live if you're looking for a big city vibe). That said, I liked Kirksville more, it seemed like a quaint little town with character. It is located right in Thousand Oaks state park and I thought it was a beautiful area, great scenery for outdoor recreation. Also has a farmers market on weekends if that is something that you're interested in. And I liked the on campus gym (lots of weights & cardio, bball court, Sauna, hot tub). Other than that there is not much difference in what Dothan offers compared to Kirksville.

KCOM has a great reputation and a proven track record. They are a well oiled school that is going to give you every resource that you need to preform well and match well. They also offer more freedom for the student (no mandatory class, no dress code, stream lectures online). KCOM also has hospital attached to it that can be used by students for things like shadowing and networking with physicians for research etc.

The students I talked to at KCOM were very happy with the education they were receiving and it seems that KCOM gears their curriculum more towards boards than Acom, they also give 5 weeks off for board prep and the few weeks leading up to the time off is pretty light in terms of material.

Tuition is about 52k at KCOM and 44k and ACOM I believe...But the COL is really cheap in Kirksville, of the students I talked to they were paying between $400-800 a month in rent...If I were to attend ACOM I would live in the brand new student apartments right next to campus and those are around $900 a month. So cost of attendance is pretty comparable at both schools slight edge to ACOM.

I have a friend at ACOM who likes the school overall but says there's a few things that could be improved upon (which I am sure is true of every school) but one thing mentioned was there is a push towards collaborative learning, group work/learning. This would also bother me as I like freedom in my schedule and the way I learn and am fully capable of reaching out to classmates and setting up study groups if I wanted to. Also mandatory attendance and location is a big con for them, but it's only 2 years in Dothan then off to rotations elsewhere.

Overall, both are solid schools, but KCOM has more advantages than ACOM IMO. I also thought the DO/MBA option was a big plus, but I personally would be interested in going into administration later in my career and it is a nice option to be able to grab your MBA in healthcare admin while in med school.

Best of luck on your decision! Great spot to be in!

 

[kdrama123]

I would probably pick KCOM and here's my reasoning for what it's worth, both towns (Kirksville and Dothan are smaller and probably not the most desirable places to live if you're looking for a big city vibe). That said, I liked Kirksville more, it seemed like a quaint little town with character. It is located right in Thousand Oaks state park and I thought it was a beautiful area, great scenery for outdoor recreation. Also has a farmers market on weekends if that is something that you're interested in. And I liked the on campus gym (lots of weights & cardio, bball court, Sauna, hot tub). Other than that there is not much difference in what Dothan offers compared to Kirksville.

KCOM has a great reputation and a proven track record. They are a well oiled school that is going to give you every resource that you need to preform well and match well. They also offer more freedom for the student (no mandatory class, no dress code, stream lectures online). KCOM also has hospital attached to it that can be used by students for things like shadowing and networking with physicians for research etc.

The students I talked to at KCOM were very happy with the education they were receiving and it seems that KCOM gears their curriculum more towards boards than Acom, they also give 5 weeks off for board prep and the few weeks leading up to the time off is pretty light in terms of material.

Tuition is about 52k at KCOM and 44k and ACOM I believe...But the COL is really cheap in Kirksville, of the students I talked to they were paying between $400-800 a month in rent...If I were to attend ACOM I would live in the brand new student apartments right next to campus and those are around $900 a month. So cost of attendance is pretty comparable at both schools slight edge to ACOM.

I have a friend at ACOM who likes the school overall but says there's a few things that could be improved upon (which I am sure is true of every school) but one thing mentioned was there is a push towards collaborative learning, group work/learning. This would also bother me as I like freedom in my schedule and the way I learn and am fully capable of reaching out to classmates and setting up study groups if I wanted to. Also mandatory attendance and location is a big con for them, but it's only 2 years in Dothan then off to rotations elsewhere.

Overall, both are solid schools, but KCOM has more advantages than ACOM IMO. I also thought the DO/MBA option was a big plus, but I personally would be interested in going into administration later in my career and it is a nice option to be able to grab your MBA in healthcare admin while in med school.

Best of luck on your decision! Great spot to be in!

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this, it was really helpful!

 

[just_SAIYAN]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this, it was really helpful!

No worries! I think you can't go wrong either way, it just comes down to what's most important for you.

 

[crazyboi1993]

I would pick ACOM, i actually interviwed there and the town is actually not at all rural, its pretty big, and has a lot of things!!

 

[Howlin_Radio]

Firstly, KCOM provides an iPad and cardiology III in the tuition. id take that out of your pros for ACOM. Secondly, how much is ACOM tuition? Thirdly, KCOM will more than likely have better rotations and you only have to live in kirksville for two years.


Edit: just read ACOM tuition is 44k above? Is this accurate? KCOM is 51k after looking on the portal, and 50k the other years.

If you are interested in a particular specialty, see if ACOM offers rotations at hospitals with residency options in that specialty. It'll provide an extra opportunity for LORs. Further, this may give you a big leg up in getting into that program.

Also, I'd take ACOM's board review out of pros as well. KCOM has been preparing students for the boards for much much longer. Even though it's mostly about your own effort, ACOM certainly won't prepare you for the boards better than KCOM.

It seems like your throwing a bunch of irrelevant pros for ACOM to reinforce your desire to go there. If that's where you felt most comfortable and you think kirksville is going to suck, then by all means go to ACOM. But that's the only thing ACOM should have over a school as old and well functioning as KCOM. ACOM hasn't even matched its first class yet..

 

[5HT3]

I would choose ACOM. Dothan's cost of living is incredibly cheap. The on-campus housing rent is higher than the surrounding area due to the fact that it includes all of your bills. You live in Dothan for two years as well, unless you do your rotations at the medical center that is a mile away from the school. ACOM also provides with extensive board review.

 

[NBLogical]

I'm surprised at all of the responses for ACOM.
Cost is a marginal difference in the long run.
First two years don't matter as much since you'll live at the library anyway. How much you save on housing is marginal since you'll most likely move for years 3-4.
Areas seem the same.

The key difference is rotations and history. ACOM has amec which has great rotations but with kcom being older and having match lists, kcom has proven themselves as a successful school with successful and effective rotation sites. Thus you can say kcom is better than ACOM in terms of years 3-4.
I don't know kcoms rotation sites but kcom wins in regards to being an established school.

This is an easy decision. Kcom >> ACOM.

 

[imax2011]

I would choose ACOM. Dothan's cost of living is incredibly cheap. The on-campus housing rent is higher than the surrounding area due to the fact that it includes all of your bills. You live in Dothan for two years as well, unless you do your rotations at the medical center that is a mile away from the school. ACOM also provides with extensive board review.

board review is just for COMPLEX, right?

 

[Howlin_Radio]

I'm surprised at all of the responses for ACOM.
Cost is a marginal difference in the long run.
First two years don't matter as much since you'll live at the library anyway. How much you save on housing is marginal since you'll most likely move for years 3-4.
Areas seem the same.

The key difference is rotations and history. ACOM has amec which has great rotations but with kcom being older and having match lists, kcom has proven themselves as a successful school with successful and effective rotation sites. Thus you can say kcom is better than ACOM in terms of years 3-4.
I don't know kcoms rotation sites but kcom wins in regards to being an established school.

This is an easy decision. Kcom >> ACOM.

OP what it comes down to is: 1) if you will be miserable in Kirksville vs ACOM's environment. kirksville isn't amazing but you have the opportunity to move your third year to nice locations 2) if ACOM offers rotation sites at hospitals who offer residencies. Especially if your really interested in something already. If your interested in FM, this isn't an issue either way. But consider this example: in EM residencies it apparently is a red flag not to have a SLOE, which will require you to get a LOR from a hospital that offers residencies in EM. In this example, there would be a lot of pressure to get a SLOE on your audition rotation (if your at a school that doesn't offer rotation sites at a hospital with an EM residency, this will be your only shot at a SLOE). 3) 80% mandatory attendance seems really annoying.

 

[kdrama123]

Thanks for all the input! I was putting too much stress on the cost (the 2016 osteopathic college handbook has KCOM ~$18,000/yr more with tuition + COL) even though I know KCOM would give me a better education and opportunities. I loved the school when I visited and I had to remember that last night when I gave up my seat to ACOM. Can't wait to start this summer!

 

[Howlin_Radio]

Thanks for all the input! I was putting too much stress on the cost (the 2016 osteopathic college handbook has KCOM ~$18,000/yr more with tuition + COL) even though I know KCOM would give me a better education and opportunities. I loved the school when I visited and I had to remember that last night when I gave up my seat to ACOM. Can't wait to start this summer!

Cya there!

 

[crazyboi1993]

Firstly, KCOM provides an iPad and cardiology III in the tuition. id take that out of your pros for ACOM. Secondly, how much is ACOM tuition? Thirdly, KCOM will more than likely have better rotations and you only have to live in kirksville for two years.


Edit: just read ACOM tuition is 44k above? Is this accurate? KCOM is 51k after looking on the portal, and 50k the other years.

If you are interested in a particular specialty, see if ACOM offers rotations at hospitals with residency options in that specialty. It'll provide an extra opportunity for LORs. Further, this may give you a big leg up in getting into that program.

Also, I'd take ACOM's board review out of pros as well. KCOM has been preparing students for the boards for much much longer. Even though it's mostly about your own effort, ACOM certainly won't prepare you for the boards better than KCOM.

It seems like your throwing a bunch of irrelevant pros for ACOM to reinforce your desire to go there. If that's where you felt most comfortable and you think kirksville is going to suck, then by all means go to ACOM. But that's the only thing ACOM should have over a school as old and well functioning as KCOM. ACOM hasn't even matched its first class yet..

I actually interviwed at ACOM, and its 44k, it also includes an Ipad and Macbook in that price, also it provides board prep, and pays for COMLEX, and all that, it was honestly an excellent school, and their rotations and clinical department is top notch!

 

[Howlin_Radio]

I actually interviwed at ACOM, and its 44k, it also includes an Ipad and Macbook in that price, also it provides board prep, and pays for COMLEX, and all that, it was honestly an excellent school, and their rotations and clinical department is top notch!

It does seem like a nice school. But, my point was that KCOM also offers the iPad in their tuition (I don't think they give you a MacBook though). My other point is that there are a lot of schools with solid clinical rotations, but they aren't affiliated with residency programs. Or, if they are, it's often family medicine or IM. There is nothing wrong with this. But if your dead set on EM or anesthesia, etc.. Your only shot at an LOR from a physician on a residency affiliated program is through your audition rotation. It's just something else to think about, because KCOM offers rotation sites with residency affiliated programs across a variety of specialties. I haven't even looked at ACOMs rotation sites, but I'm adding that as a factor to consider.

These are small factors to consider, which is why I listed it behind #1 which would be how you feel about the location.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Ignore post.

 

[Howlin_Radio]

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[Dreamstoo]

KCOM is 3.6, and 27 MCAT average. Nearly the highest GPA average of any DO school, and somewhere in the middle in terms of MCAT average. Are you thinking of KYCOM? KCOM also is the first DO school founded and has rotation sites with residency affiliations. I think your mixing up schools or very very misinformed. Based on the numbers, it's more difficult to get into KCOM

I mixed up the schools. My bad. You can delete my quote so it doesn't fester any confusion amongst readers.

 

[Howlin_Radio]

I mixed up the schools. My bad. You can delete my quote so it doesn't fester any confusion amongst readers.

ah sure I figured. It can be hard to not mix them up. I'll do that.

 

[AlienHandSyndrome]

FWIW I am a 3rd year at ACOM and the rotation spots vary widely on their quality. I count the lack of residents as an advantage and disadvantage, it really depends on what you are looking for.
Disadvantage:
-Obviously no residency sites means that you will have to do an audition to get a LOR.
-No residents means that when you say/do stupid things (that all students do) you will be doing it in front of the attending that controls your grade.
-No time for academic discussions (largely), outside of conferences.

Advantages:
-If you want to be a surgeon you can get great exposure to what that residency will actually be like. One of the surgeons in particular works >80 hrs a week, so you work all those hours and get a feel for what residency would look like. Also, I have gotten to 1st assist on a lot of cases, you learn skills that you will be able to showcase on your auditions. Its at the point now where I close all the cases, I open many cases, I have been able to use the DaVinci robot in surgery, I've put in plates and screws in ortho, and been allowed to do things most students wouldn't be able to do.
-If you want to do medicine many of the preceptors will give you patients to manage on your own (they check everything before you submit it), you round on them, you order the labs, and you are responsible for coming up with a reasonable treatment plan. There are a lot of things that you need to remember to do, its not good enough to take and H&P and make a DDx list. You have to know how to manage their fluids, diet considerations, drug interactions, mobility/physical therapy, and many other things that are easy to lose track of. If you are able to do these ancillary things on an audition rotation they will know you will be able to do the work, b/c you have to remember that current residents often get a vote on who matches to their program and they are going to pick the person that is more likely to lighten their work load. They are too tired to care what your board scores were or how your class rank looked, all they want to know is if you can decrease the amount of pages they get during the night.

I will admit this can vary depending on your rotation site.