ATSU-KCOM vs. CCOM Please help!

[caffeinatedpremed_]

I need help deciding which school to pay my deposit to (this week haha).
I would chose CCOM in a heartbeat if it weren’t so expensive, but it might be worth it if CCOM could ultimately help me match into a more competitive residency.

KCOM PROS
-lower tuition and rent
-oldest DO school
-ultrasound curriculum

KCOM CONS
-more emphasis on OMM?
-letter grading
-have to move for rotations
-not stoked on the location but it would probably be fine since I’ll be busy anyways



CCOM PROS

-less emphasis on OMM it seems (which means more time to study for boards)
-rotations are all in the Chicago area
-match list seems to have more specialties
-may have more research opportunities in Chicago

CCOM CONS
-tuition is hella high
-higher rent
-also has letter grading instead of P/F

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[TrackManDan]

Hello! Current ATSU KCOM 1st year here! While I can't speak to CCOM and what it offers, I can speak to some of the items you've listed for ATSU. For starters, due to the pandemic the amount of hours we spend on OMM has gone down, so we only have lab once a week compared to the twice a week we had prior. Plus with Step/Level 1 going P/F many of us will be studying to get a passing score BUT nonetheless want to study as much as possible. There's nothing inherently "pro" about us being the original DO although I will say through different people I've talked to through academics/research they are familiar with my school and where it is. Speaking on rotations, while it is bothersome to have to first move for med school and then to move 2 years later for rotations, it is beneficial for many of us for one reason or another. For myself, I am from the Western US and we have a few sites out there. Many of our sites have residencies themselves so it gives us access to research and strong LORs to help build a competitive residency. This can also help to match in a particular region of the country if that is what a student wishes to do. Looking at the match list from last year, CCOM did pretty solid. Do you have an idea of what you might want to aim for? Finally, location is pretty bleh, but like you said you'd be busy studying to actually do anything else. Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[caffeinatedpremed_]

Hello! Current ATSU KCOM 1st year here! While I can't speak to CCOM and what it offers, I can speak to some of the items you've listed for ATSU. For starters, due to the pandemic the amount of hours we spend on OMM has gone down, so we only have lab once a week compared to the twice a week we had prior. Plus with Step/Level 1 going P/F many of us will be studying to get a passing score BUT nonetheless want to study as much as possible. There's nothing inherently "pro" about us being the original DO although I will say through different people I've talked to through academics/research they are familiar with my school and where it is. Speaking on rotations, while it is bothersome to have to first move for med school and then to move 2 years later for rotations, it is beneficial for many of us for one reason or another. For myself, I am from the Western US and we have a few sites out there. Many of our sites have residencies themselves so it gives us access to research and strong LORs to help build a competitive residency. This can also help to match in a particular region of the country if that is what a student wishes to do. Looking at the match list from last year, CCOM did pretty solid. Do you have an idea of what you might want to aim for? Finally, location is pretty bleh, but like you said you'd be busy studying to actually do anything else. Let me know if you have any more questions!

This was so helpful, thank you! I’m not sure what I want to do yet, but I don’t think I want to do primary care. I have a question about the curriculum. I’ve read from some students on here that it seems like ATSUs curriculum is unnecessarily more stressful with cumulative exams and what not. Do you feel this way at all or do you think it’s reasonable.

 

[TrackManDan]

You're so welcome! So little background, I too am not aiming for pure primary care per se. Im thinking of subspecializing in an IM field (cardio, pulm, etc) so my focus is academic IM programs OR community ones with in-house fellowships. I have lab partners that are in the same boat, or classmates that are thinking of doing primary care in the midwest where they are from. Really depends on the person. Best advice I have received and pass on to others is be intentional about building a strong app. From day 1. Some things you can do is looking for research opportunities, getting into clubs that tailor to your interests (clinical and personal), leadership opportunities, etc. I say this because at each step of the journey you want to kill it and not having to play "catch up" so to speak.

As for the exams and what not, I'd say yeah it can be stressful. I can only speak on my own experience but yeah I found that during finals there was a lot of stress building up and talking with some classmates that was the case. Some of this is offset by the concept that some of our classes will allow you to keep your score so long as you get at least a 70 on the final (meaning that if you have an 85 and you get a 76 on the final you keep your 85). However, we are talking an 8 hour final. Yes there's a curve, but when there's so much to cover it only does so much. But that's not to say that the rest of the semester is like that. For the most part, going from day one to the end is a nice experience.

 

[caffeinatedpremed_]

You're so welcome! So little background, I too am not aiming for pure primary care per se. Im thinking of subspecializing in an IM field (cardio, pulm, etc) so my focus is academic IM programs OR community ones with in-house fellowships. I have lab partners that are in the same boat, or classmates that are thinking of doing primary care in the midwest where they are from. Really depends on the person. Best advice I have received and pass on to others is be intentional about building a strong app. From day 1. Some things you can do is looking for research opportunities, getting into clubs that tailor to your interests (clinical and personal), leadership opportunities, etc. I say this because at each step of the journey you want to kill it and not having to play "catch up" so to speak.

As for the exams and what not, I'd say yeah it can be stressful. I can only speak on my own experience but yeah I found that during finals there was a lot of stress building up and talking with some classmates that was the case. Some of this is offset by the concept that some of our classes will allow you to keep your score so long as you get at least a 70 on the final (meaning that if you have an 85 and you get a 76 on the final you keep your 85). However, we are talking an 8 hour final. Yes there's a curve, but when there's so much to cover it only does so much. But that's not to say that the rest of the semester is like that. For the most part, going from day one to the end is a nice experience.

Do you feel like it is reasonable to find research opportunities?

 

[TrackManDan]

Do you feel like it is reasonable to find research opportunities?

You caaaan, I reached out to many faculty here and had no problem finding someone who either 1. had research going on in a field I was interested in or 2. was willing to take me on for a project. However, there is one thing you have to know that applies to everyone: we're in a pandemic. Most labs here are not open here and if they do eventually open up, you're spending your summer in Kirksville. Not to mention, from experience, bench research (which is the majority here at ATSU) takes a long time to publish. What I decided to do, and recommend, is to reach out to faculty at different institutions and try to find a project you may be able to get onto. The other thing you can do is tied into what I spoke about in my initial post, which is do research at your rotation site. You will have much more access to clinical faculty and residents/fellows if you're at a place that has these training programs. I would say quality of quantity, but you also don't want to wait so late that you can't get out a quality project.

Edit: the research i am referring to in a field i am interested in was biomedical and not exactly clinical medicine