Are these valid reasons to pick CUSOM over ACOM?

BU Medical Sciences
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
B

BriannaRodriguez1992

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
13
Reaction score
12
Members don't see this ad.
Can people comment on if these reasons are valid to pick CUSOM over ACOM? I fell in love with ACOM and fit in there more but after looking at the hard facts, it seems that CUSOM will probably allow me the greatest chances at success for getting a high score on boards and getting a good residency.

Reasons why I am picking Campbell over ACOM

-94.1% board pass rate at Campbell vs. 89% at ACOM—>Better match list at Campbell in the spring!

-Scholarship for students at Campbell attracting more qualified students-->Higher Caliber of Students

-Many residencies have already been created-->CUSOM is serious about setting its students up for success

-Close to research triangle in NC so I can find quality research to do between Summer of OMS-1 and OMS-2

-Can use undergraduate facilities

-provides Kaplan COMLEX review COMBANK questions during first year in tuition

- Faculty recruited from Duke and UNC
 
Last edited:
Seems like good reasons. Best to ask current students though.

Don't know about ACOM, but CUSOM has required lecture attendance.



BriannaRodriguez1992 said:
Can people comment on if these reasons are valid to pick CUSOM over ACOM? I fell in love with ACOM and fit in there more but after looking at the hard facts, it seems that CUSOM will probably allow me the greatest chances at success for getting a high score on boards and getting a good residency.

Reasons why I am picking Campbell over ACOM

-94.1% board pass rate at Campbell vs. 89% at ACOM—>Better match list at Campbell in the spring!

-Scholarship for students at Campbell attracting more qualified students-->Higher Caliber of Students

-Many residencies have already been created-->CUSOM is serious about setting its students up for success

-Close to research triangle in NC so I can find quality research to do between Summer of OMS-1 and OMS-2

-Can use undergraduate facilities

-provides Kaplan COMLEX review COMBANK questions during first year in tuition

- Faculty recruited from Duke and UNC
Click to expand...
 
Both have mandatory attendance. However, I think you have to attend lecture for less amount of time at ACOM than CUSOM. However, I think CUSOM had done good with its residency set up. The newer schools seem to be doing more things right than some schools set up in the 2000s.
 
BriannaRodriguez1992 said:
94.1% board pass rate at Campbell vs. 89% at ACOM—>Better match list at Campbell in the spring!
Click to expand...

This is a non-issue and shouldn't be a reason. Passing boards is all on the student, also board pass rate doesn't have a correlation with match lists because a school can have a pass rate of 100% but still have a garbage match list if everyone scores between a 400-410 on COMLEX.
BriannaRodriguez1992 said:
Scholarship for students at Campbell attracting more qualified students-->Higher Caliber of Students
Click to expand...

Eh there isn't any data to make this assumption either.

BriannaRodriguez1992 said:
Many residencies have already been created-->CUSOM is serious about setting its students up for success
Click to expand...

This is a very good reason. The rest of your reasons are valid as well.
 
Just to add to ACOM. They are trying to raise their scores by implementing mandatory Wolfpacc course for their students next year. They are also opening up a TBL and research center this year. Additionally, they are the academic center of the nearby hospital SAMC and affiliated with AMEC so their clinical education is solid (from what I've heard from current students).

IDK about Campbell (haven't interviewed there), but the faculty at ACOM seem phenomenal as far as how they treat their students, and how nice they seem. Of course, this is subjective and doesn't matter if you didn't have the same reaction. OP, you seem like you are convinced on Campbell and just want confirmation that it is the right choice. I say go for Campbell 🙂
 
HFlash said:
Just to add to ACOM. They are trying to raise their scores by implementing mandatory Wolfpacc course for their students next year. They are also opening up a TBL and research center this year. Additionally, they are the academic center of the nearby hospital SAMC and affiliated with AMEC so their clinical education is solid (from what I've heard from current students).

IDK about Campbell (haven't interviewed there), but the faculty at ACOM seem phenomenal as far as how they treat their students, and how nice they seem. Of course, this is subjective and doesn't matter if you didn't have the same reaction. OP, you seem like you are convinced on Campbell and just want confirmation that it is the right choice. I say go for Campbell 🙂
Click to expand...
This is the dilemma I am having! I LOVED ACOM and the students and the professors there! I see myself happier at ACOM than at CUSOM but when I look at the facts, it seems that CUSOM will prepare me better for boards and residency...This is a hard decision! I don't know whether to go with my head or my heart
 
I agree with @AnatomyGrey12 . Be where you ultimately are happy. How you felt OP is exactly how I felt about ACOM and LECOM-B. They WL me and I didn't even care because I was leaning towards ACOM anyways lol. As of right now, I will only consider picking a school over ACOM if I felt a similar amazing family atmosphere as I did at ACOM. You'll be a great doctor regardless so just go where you'll be happier 🙂 .

Also word of advice, PLEASE delete your account and make a new one. Using your name (and I'm assuming birth year) makes it pretty easy to trace your account to you, and you want to keep anonymous on the internet.
 
I had the same decision and I chose CUSOM. I know what you mean when you say the family feel was better at ACOM tho. Say what you will about pass rates the two schools started the same year and recruited from the same applicant pool, clearly something is working better at Campbell than it is at ACOM. The rotations at both of these schools are pretty good and neither seems like they're going to ship you all over. Personally the Raleigh rotation "base" seems like it'd be great. Residency positions seem like a big plus for CUSOM as well especially since they're opening up a breadth of specialties and not just IM/FM. The research opportunities are another big plus for CUSOM since it now has some on site research as well as the Raleigh area opportunities. Another huge plus is that Raleigh has a job market for my SO, a huge step above Dothan.
 
I agree with this sentiment. If you feel you "fit" at one school over another, than that is your best bet. I would like to comment on the "family feel" that many interviewees comment about after interview day. The first and second years that show you around the school are usually going to be very sociable and friendly. These students represent about 2-3% of the student population. Who knows what the overall atmosphere really is in a school. I felt welcomed at every school I have interviewed at, and one of them didn't even have students yet.
 
It's all preference at this point. Both will be fully accredited by the time you start.
 
New DO school with mandatory attendance vs new DO school with mandatory attendance. Just go to the cheaper one.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
I had the same decision to make. I ultimately picked CUSOM over ACOM. I think all the reasons you listed were valid but happiness is the biggest factor. If you feel like you'll be happier at ACOM go there.
 
AnatomyGrey12 said:
This is a non-issue and shouldn't be a reason. Passing boards is all on the student, also board pass rate doesn't have a correlation with match lists because a school can have a pass rate of 100% but still have a garbage match list if everyone scores between a 400-410 on COMLEX.


Eh there isn't any data to make this assumption either.



This is a very good reason. The rest of your reasons are valid as well.
Click to expand...

@AnatomyGrey12 I know you're quick to point out when everyone is wrong on something, well this is my turn for you.... just because CUSOM has setup residency slots doesn't make it a better choice. I originally had the same assumption, but when you look at WHY they've set up so many residency options it paints a clearer picture.

North Carolina's local MD schools are NOT DO friendly, and CUSOM faculty know that. Therefore, they took extra measures to setup their own residencies to ensure all of their students match. But, for example ACOM, the local MD schools are much more DO friendly so even though the school hasn't set up residencies it's not as big of a deal. In fact, it's better that way because you can go to the MD school's residency rather than CUSOM's newly created DO residencies.

Unfortunately, UNC and Duke are very biased against DO's, and CUSOM will just scratch the surface of them dropping their guards. This is a big reason why a DO school took so long to open up in NC, which is pretty much known as a college state. (A current CUSOM student iterated this last sentence to me)
 
Hey Everyone,

I'm in the same boat as all of you!!!! Felt more homier and happier/chill vibe at ACOM. Felt more of an up-tight, competitive feel at CUSOM. Felt stricter and more structured at CUSOM, but felt like it would help prep me for a better board score (not sure?) ACOM felt like they will walk you and baby you along the way, and every student there was just SO HAPPY to be in medical school so really did not get a competitive edge and was veryyyyy happy about that.

With that said, a 3rd (and very strong!) contender for me is UIWSOM. Even though there are no students there, the faculty BLEW ME AWAY and the spirituality is something I truly love. I know we're all pre-meds here, but is it bad if I choose UIWSOM over ACOM/CUSOM because it's not as established and I'll be the first year? I really don't want to regret my decision if I pick UIW and we have till Dec. 14th for deposit so time is running out....

@Goro
 
MADD!!! said:
Hey Everyone,

I'm in the same boat as all of you!!!! Felt more homier and happier/chill vibe at ACOM. Felt more of an up-tight, competitive feel at CUSOM. Felt stricter and more structured at CUSOM, but felt like it would help prep me for a better board score (not sure?) ACOM felt like they will walk you and baby you along the way, and every student there was just SO HAPPY to be in medical school so really did not get a competitive edge and was veryyyyy happy about that.

With that said, a 3rd (and very strong!) contender for me is UIWSOM. Even though there are no students there, the faculty BLEW ME AWAY and the spirituality is something I truly love. I know we're all pre-meds here, but is it bad if I choose UIWSOM over ACOM/CUSOM because it's not as established and I'll be the first year? I really don't want to regret my decision if I pick UIW and we have till Dec. 14th for deposit so time is running out....

@Goro
Click to expand...

Same exact choices here... I am not contemplating UIW, though. While I got a nice "vibe" from them, the support system an established school has is going to be beneficial (especially tutoring sessions and review with 2nd yrs and anatomy/OMM fellows). On top of that CUSOM really seems to have their board stuff in order. I felt more of a home-like atmosphere at ACOM, but objectively they have the same rules for lecture/OMM/anatomy/etc. UIW's rotations are what scare me the most since that isn't nailed down, they mentioned the tertiary facility they're associated with, but never mentioned where else/how many spots/how clerkship locations are assigned. And while I think the way UIW plans its curriculum is interesting they were very light on specifics as to what it will actually look like...how many lectures (mandatory?), how/when will the EMT class be, how much CBL/PBL, weekly quizzing (a plus for me), what's the test schedule, are there weeks off after blocks?
 
About happiness of students at a school talk to 2nd years. At this point of the year all 1st years are genuinely happy because they're still excited to be in med school. I say talk to 2nd years and not just the ambassadors because they're more informed about the school and there has been enough time to be disillusioned
 
I talked to a group of 2nd years at ACOM after my interview! They were all so damn happy too. They must put something in that water, making my own decisions harder than it should be lol.
 
MADD!!! said:
@AnatomyGrey12 I know you're quick to point out when everyone is wrong on something, well this is my turn for you.... just because CUSOM has setup residency slots doesn't make it a better choice. I originally had the same assumption, but when you look at WHY they've set up so many residency options it paints a clearer picture.

North Carolina's local MD schools are NOT DO friendly, and CUSOM faculty know that. Therefore, they took extra measures to setup their own residencies to ensure all of their students match. But, for example ACOM, the local MD schools are much more DO friendly so even though the school hasn't set up residencies it's not as big of a deal. In fact, it's better that way because you can go to the MD school's residency rather than CUSOM's newly created DO residencies.

Unfortunately, UNC and Duke are very biased against DO's, and CUSOM will just scratch the surface of them dropping their guards. This is a big reason why a DO school took so long to open up in NC, which is pretty much known as a college state. (A current CUSOM student iterated this last sentence to me)
Click to expand...
What is your evidence that MD schools are any less "DO friendly" in NC than anywhere else?
 
MADD!!! said:
@AnatomyGrey12 I know you're quick to point out when everyone is wrong on something, well this is my turn for you.... just because CUSOM has setup residency slots doesn't make it a better choice. I originally had the same assumption, but when you look at WHY they've set up so many residency options it paints a clearer picture.

North Carolina's local MD schools are NOT DO friendly, and CUSOM faculty know that. Therefore, they took extra measures to setup their own residencies to ensure all of their students match. But, for example ACOM, the local MD schools are much more DO friendly so even though the school hasn't set up residencies it's not as big of a deal. In fact, it's better that way because you can go to the MD school's residency rather than CUSOM's newly created DO residencies.

Unfortunately, UNC and Duke are very biased against DO's, and CUSOM will just scratch the surface of them dropping their guards. This is a big reason why a DO school took so long to open up in NC, which is pretty much known as a college state. (A current CUSOM student iterated this last sentence to me)
Click to expand...

None of this makes sense. I don't give two craps for why someone makes residency slots. Having residency slots is extremely important, especially with the merger. And if people think ACOM students will be matching competitively at UAB then they have another thing coming. ACOM only has a handful of residencies. Excuse me if I am skeptical that the ACOM students will be taking the MD Spitsbergen in Bama en mass.

UNC and Duke are DO unfriendly because they are top notch places with generally top residency programs. The bias is no different at other schools of like caliber.
 
Rumor has it that CUSOM is making residencies in many specialties which is better than the flip side. ACOM IS only making FM and general internal residencies along with one psych and one EM residency
 
Ultimately, YOU must decide what is more important. What you listed are valid considerations in choosing a school. I didn't interview at CUSOM so can't speak to which has a better feel or the quality of the professors in comparison. A lot of the feel will be dependent on your fellow classmates, as you will spend much of your time with them.
 
MADD!!! said:
Hey Everyone,

I'm in the same boat as all of you!!!! Felt more homier and happier/chill vibe at ACOM. Felt more of an up-tight, competitive feel at CUSOM. Felt stricter and more structured at CUSOM, but felt like it would help prep me for a better board score (not sure?) ACOM felt like they will walk you and baby you along the way, and every student there was just SO HAPPY to be in medical school so really did not get a competitive edge and was veryyyyy happy about that.

With that said, a 3rd (and very strong!) contender for me is UIWSOM. Even though there are no students there, the faculty BLEW ME AWAY and the spirituality is something I truly love. I know we're all pre-meds here, but is it bad if I choose UIWSOM over ACOM/CUSOM because it's not as established and I'll be the first year? I really don't want to regret my decision if I pick UIW and we have till Dec. 14th for deposit so time is running out....

@Goro
Click to expand...
.
 
AnatomyGrey12 said:
None of this makes sense. I don't give two craps for why someone makes residency slots. Having residency slots is extremely important, especially with the merger. And if people think ACOM students will be matching competitively at UAB then they have another thing coming. ACOM only has a handful of residencies. Excuse me if I am skeptical that the ACOM students will be taking the MD Spitsbergen in Bama en mass.

UNC and Duke are DO unfriendly because they are top notch places with generally top residency programs. The bias is no different at other schools of like caliber.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for others experiences, but as a first year at CUSOM I have reached out to a few DUKE physicians who are involved in some fellowships and residencies there and they have been very open to bringing me in to shadow and even just to have lunch and talk. I don't know that this says anything definite about whether or not they are open to me or any other DO students as future residents, but they are very open to you rotating with them, at least in the specialties I have spent time with, and to me this says that if you go to them and make a good impression, they probably won't care what letters are before your name when residency interviews roll around.
 
sokkaappa said:
I can't speak for others experiences, but as a first year at CUSOM I have reached out to a few DUKE physicians who are involved in some fellowships and residencies there and they have been very open to bringing me in to shadow and even just to have lunch and talk. I don't know that this says anything definite about whether or not they are open to me or any other DO students as future residents, but they are very open to you rotating with them, at least in the specialties I have spent time with, and to me this says that if you go to them and make a good impression, they probably won't care what letters are before your name when residency interviews roll around.
Click to expand...

Well Duke does accept DO residents for family medicine for sure and maybe pm&r? But for IM.... if you can break into that then CUSOM takes the cake for sure.
 
I was looking at dukes peds program and didn't see any DOs. I didn't bother emailing the director but maybe I should
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
ACOM inrweview invite
Replies
5
Views
2K
DO2015CA
DO2015CA
H
I GOT INTO ACOM
Replies
3
Views
2K
Goro
Goro
wysdoc
2025-2026 Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM)
Replies
3
Views
2K
medicine23
M
wysdoc
2025-2026 Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM)
2
Replies
77
Views
7K
wishingfora
W
H
are DO graduates who are not citizens considered IMG?
Replies
7
Views
1K
havil
H
Top