ATSU-KCOM vs KCU vs COMP-NW

[Briarbee]

ATSU-KCOM
Pros

• Old school with large alumni network
• Good facilities with anatomy lab, simulation center, student gym, etc
• Rural (I personally like rural areas)
• Facilitates audition rotations

Cons

• Missouri. It's a long ways away from me.
• Having to move for years 3-4 or travel longer distances for rotations

KCU-Joplin
Pros

• Pretty similar to ATSU-KCOM. Old school, good facilities
• Still rural-ish (personal preference), but population grows during the week due to the hospitals. That could also make rotations easier.
• Tuition is less than the other schools
• Facilitates audition rotations

Cons

• Again, Missouri.
• New campus, which could present problems
• Population grows during the week and it feels like a bigger city.
• May also end up moving in years 3-4 depending on where I am assigned.

WesternU, COMP-NW
Pros

• Love the location! Close to home, practically no winter, beautiful area
• Very caring faculty and wonderful community environment

Cons

• Facilities- no simulation center or libraries
• While the school itself is ~60 years old, this is a new campus
• Does not facilitate audition rotations

Summary: I feel like I should choose one of the Missouri schools because I think they will give me more opportunities leading into my career. However, you get out as much as you put in at any school, so does it make that big of a difference? I also want to enjoy my school experience, including location and sense of community. Having never been to Missouri, it's a wild card for me.

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[Drsecondchance]

I would go for whichever is cheaper between KCU and KCOM. I would NOT choose COMP-NW because they don't have a sim center, are treated as a red-headed stepchild as compared to COMP, and there are few places to study on campus. This is all according to one disgruntled med student who was supposed to be a student ambassador during my interview. It looks like the other two schools are really comparable.