ARCOM vs. VCOM Virginia

[TangerineAlfred]

Hi all,

I want to preface this discussion by saying that I am very interested in pursuing orthopedic surgery, so my greatest priority is picking the school that will put me in the best position for a successful match. The biggest thing that I am thinking about is the established school vs. the newer school. When thinking about matching into a very competitive speciality like ortho, is it decisively advantageous to be at a more established school? Is that worth an extra $15,000?

ARCOM

Pros

• ~15k cheaper total for all 4 years
• Newer school (graduating its first class this year) so may receive extra attention/support from administration
• Recently purchased huge research facility that will make them the largest research institution of any DO school in the country (although this still has to be set up)
• Newer, more modern campus

Cons

• Newer school, so less established (est. 2014)
• No physical library
• 2021 was the first match year, so no match history to compare to. Although, they did surprisingly well for their first match (1 ortho surg, 2 neuro surg, 1 derm, 1 diagnostic rad)
• Slightly lower average % pass rate for COMLEX, but again, only 2 years of data to look at.

VCOM

Pros

• More established, older school (est. 2001)
• Higher board pass rate (again, only comparing to 2 years of data at ARCOM)
• Decent residency matches
• Collaboration with VT Tech. Research collaboration, access to VT library and athletic facilities, school clubs, etc.
• VCOM has 3 other campuses, lectures are shared between all schools. Also additional connections with faculty at other campuses
• OMM training is very good here

Cons

• ~15k more expensive
• Seems to have a very heavy focus on primary care
• No elective rotations 3rd year
• Older campus

Please let me know if you have any additional pros/cons! Ultimately the most important thing to me is setting myself up to match competitively, and I am trying to determine if one school would put me in a better position to achieve my goal. Thanks for your help!

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[DrStephenStrange]

As an ARCOM student, go to the establish school. It will save you a lot of headaches that comes with any new school. 15K is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

 

[TangerineAlfred]

As an ARCOM student, go to the establish school. It will save you a lot of headaches that comes with any new school. 15K is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Would you mind if I PMed you?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Would you mind if I PMed you?

I PMed you.

 

[Drsecondchance]

VCOM will give you a better chance than the very new ARCOM.