Argh... Help!

[SuperFeisty]

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Hey guys... I've been literally pulling my hair out trying to decide which school to attend. I know that everyone says "go where you feel comfortable etc etc," but this is a HUGE step in my life, and how am I going to base an enormous decision based on something as frivolous or trivial as whether the school (ie) has a pool. Sometimes, I wish there were a ranking saying students from which schools got the best residencies, were most prepared, most enjoyed their experience or what not.

Right now, I've been accepted to Temple, DMU, and Ohio (hopefully Scholl soon), and have tried making a pros and cons list for each, but they ALL END UP THE SAME! I have a few days left to make my decision. Anyways, if anyone has an helpful suggestions, I would really appreciate it. I don't want to make a mistake.

 

[flyhi]

lol....I'm not sure why, but your post makes me laugh. (even though I'm still devastated about the whole gf thing) 🙁

First of all, if your list is the same for each school, you are doing something wrong..haha. I mean, living at Temple is going to be way different than living in Des Moines!

Have you been able to talk to many 3rd/4th years from each school? I find they have the most insight as to the REAL pros/cons. The schools you have listed (including Scholl) all have many different qualities to include: curriculum (a true 2+2/or not, number of home months 4th year vs. away, # of externships before CRIPS, quality of school clinic, location of rotations in comparison to campus, number of rotations that offer residencies, DO school attached/no DO school, cost of living, Independent pod school vs. associated with major university vs. associated with only other health professional programs, cultural diversity of area/campus vs. lack thereof, high tech vs. almost no tech, facilities, block vs. traditional schedule, in house professors vs. adjunct, is there a curling team .......etc, etc You may not know how all of these differences will affect you, which is why it's important to talk to those who can give you the insight. They may bring up something you had not thought of, yet is important to you.

Where did you feel like you could see yourself fitting in the best from your interview day? Did you walk along the tour thinking 'this is SO me?' Or have you had little red flags go off about a school that you have maybe not paid close attention to?

I honestly don't think you are going to make a 'mistake' any where you choose. It certainly is a big decision, but you will end up making the right one if you do your homework. 👍

And, if you are really struggling and need more time, ask the school(s) for more time to get your deposit to them...they are pretty accomodating with this request.

Good Luck!!

 

[bobdolerson]

I feel like this decision should be narrowed down pretty easily.

Is a school close to your home, or significantly closer than the rest? If so, does this matter? Other than in California, the schools are pretty spread out so if one is closer and that's a big deal, then one school in particular should jump out.

Is the surrounding city important?
Each of the cities is distinct, and if there's a certain feel that's important to you, this could be another easy distinguishing mark.

Are numbers important? Ie, board pass rates, residency rates, number of students, student faculty ratio.
If they are, then again, there's some good diversity between the schools regarding several of these.

These and issues regarding clinics are the big factors that people generally choose between, so you need to make a few personal choices and narrow them down that way. Every school has pros and cons, so it's far more important to prioritize your list rather than assign each variable an equal value.

 

[flyhi]

I feel like this decision should be narrowed down pretty easily.

Because there is only ONE good choice here? 😆

 

[SuperFeisty]

flyhi,
You make quite a few interesting points. First and foremost, I broke up with my imaginary gf because I wanted more youtube time for Starcraft 2 replays 😀. 2nd, I'm well aware of the fact that some schools start dipping you into the clinical experience earlier (scholl summer after 1st year). But, from listening to Kidsfeet, clinical experience is learning HOW to treat and see patients. There should be less emphasis on number of patients seen (that's what residency is for). One of the issues with schools being integrated with other healthcare professions is the fact that all the integrated schools mention that they teach you how to be a physician first. Do schools that lack these programs simply not do that? I highly doubt it. When I've interviewed, every school seemed awesome. Every school I could see myself fitting in. That's what makes this decision so particularly difficult.

bobbeh,
I'm from down in the South, and I'm NOT going to Barry. So everywhere is far far away. Also, the city I live in is more or less a dump of a town... So comparatively speaking, ANYTHING is an upgrade (yes, even alaska). I mean, bob you chose DMU right? Do you find it difficult to maintain top 25% to maintain scholarships there? One of my concerns with DMU is that because there are so fewer students, the competition is more IN YOUR FACE. I don't feel that things like the tiny 1-2% difference between board pass rates or the residency placement will apply to me. I know exactly what I'm capable of, and won't stop until I reach those goals. I wish I coulda chatted with you when I went to DMU! See if you really are as laid-back as you say 🙄

 

[bobdolerson]

Yeah, it's difficult. Everyone is doing everything they can to ace every exam, and the caliber of the "average" student is much higher than in undergrad. There is a 100 scored on every exam, and you can generally assume if you walk out of an exam feeling badly about it, then you probably performed less than average. You are also told the overall average for each exam, with the scores added from DOs, DPTs, etc.

It's humbling.

And no, I don't mean there's only one logical choice, I mean to say that if you decide what's most important to you, then one school will generally be more tailored to that. I chose DMU because of the sense I got from visiting the campus. The student body was friendly and encouraging, and when it came down to the gut, that's the one I chose.

 

[ldsrmdude]

Have you been able to talk to many 3rd/4th years from each school? I find they have the most insight as to the REAL pros/cons.

I definitely agree that 3rd years and 4th years are a great source of info on the school. My views have changed significantly from my first two years, and I feel like I could give a bit better advice now than I could have (and did) my first two years. It can be hard to find 3rd and 4th years as most are away from the school. I wish I could help you more on your specific choices, but I have met talented students from all of those schools.

 

[frankcfromny]

Yeah, it's difficult. Everyone is doing everything they can to ace every exam, and the caliber of the "average" student is much higher than in undergrad. There is a 100 scored on every exam, and you can generally assume if you walk out of an exam feeling badly about it, then you probably performed less than average. You are also told the overall average for each exam, with the scores added from DOs, DPTs, etc.

It's humbling.

And no, I don't mean there's only one logical choice, I mean to say that if you decide what's most important to you, then one school will generally be more tailored to that. I chose DMU because of the sense I got from visiting the campus. The student body was friendly and encouraging, and when it came down to the gut, that's the one I chose.

I feel like that is the attitude you'll encounter at almost any professional school. The students want to be there, and want to do well.

I haven't visited any of these schools yet so I can't comment on that aspect (important), but based on the research I've done online I can say that DMU impresses me the most.

I love that DPM students are integrated with the DO students for the first couple years. That to me is added competition and I love that. It gives me even more "drive" to succeed. DMU also appears to be very organized in every aspect of the program starting with admissions. That's important.

I shadowed a podiatrist who went to Temple and we got talking about schools. He said he has been fortunate to meet a lot of different podiatrists from different schools. While every school is great and most give you all of the same opportunities, he felt it was easier to be exposed to a broad range of podiatry at school in a large city environment (Philly, New York,etc.). That's just some food for thought.

 

[bobdolerson]

I'm not one of those students to knock or insult other schools at all, but I have no problem talking up my own school.

I'm only a DMU first year, so all I can really talk about is that, but it's been fantastic. The faculty is more than willing to help with everything, the school is incredibly well organized and integrated via outlook and it's associated calendar.

The students are always helpful, and I've yet to be turned down by an upper classmen when asking for help. Fellow classmates are supportive, and always trying to help one another succeed.

It's a nice mixture of competition and a mutual desire for everyone to do well. I love it here and I think I made the right choice; that being said, it's only my choice, and I simply say these things to give you my own impression of my school.

 

[SuperFeisty]

Hey bob, I thought you said that you were one of the top students? You said something like "I'm smarter than most of the students, so I get by with less work"? How easy is it to maintain top 25% of the class? I ask because DMU's scholarship is contingent upon remaining top 25%