best DO schools?

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neurotik

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does anyone know what the most competetive DO schools are? in terms of getting accepted, and avg gpa/mcat..
 
1. KCUMB
2. ??????
3. ??????
4. ??????
5. ??????


-Redox
 
neurotik said:
does anyone know what the most competetive DO schools are? in terms of getting accepted, and avg gpa/mcat..
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The best DO school is the school that doesn't take you ...
 
In terms of applicants/seats:

PCOM gets the highest number of applications by far. Between PCOM-Ga and PCOM there were over 8k applications this year with the vast majority of those being to PCOM (5-6000)

In terms of highest application statistics (MCAT/GPA):

TCOM, UMDNJ-SOM, OSUCOM, CCOM, COMP

For out-of-staters, PCOM is really selective too. They tend to highly favor in-state students.

Really, however, there are many other more important factors to consider than competitiveness of a school. Some important things to check out include but are not limited to the following:

1. Match List
2. Clinical Rotations
3. Physical Plant
4. Students' overall satisfaction and sense of cohesion
5. Friendliness of administration
6. Attendance policies
7. Location (city may be preferable if you seek to specialize, country may be preferable if you a) want to live cheaply or b) want to go into rural/primary care. c) want to live close to family/friends so that you have a safety/support network.
8. Research is important for some.
 
what are some DO schools with better research opportunities? And regardless of the school, D.O students can simply apply for research programs during the summer right?
 
Look for the letters "COM" in the name

👍
 
If you are judging the "top" DO schools by average MCAT and GPA, then TCOM is definitely one of them. This year, the official averages for accepted applicants were: MCAT=28.5 and GPA=3.66, which is only 1 MCAT point and 0.1 GPA point lower than averages for state allopathic schools here. Others that come to mind are DMU, AZCOM, PCOM, KCUMB, OSUCOM, CCOM, NYCOM and COMP.
 
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Bluemirage said:
If you are judging the "top" DO schools by average MCAT and GPA...
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Why would you do that when the "top" school is obviously the one with the highest elevation. Ergo, the "top" school will probably be the new one in Colorado when it opens. I couldn't even guess what the "bottom" school might be, but you shuld probably stay away from any COM located near sea level just in case.
 
neurotik said:
does anyone know what the most competetive DO schools are? in terms of getting accepted, and avg gpa/mcat..
Click to expand...

I was very, very impressed when I interviewed at VCOM, the school loosely associated with Virginia Tech. Their facilities and study lounges were the most advanced I have seen. Their anatomy lab is amazing--hands-down the best in the country (I'm talking allophathic and osteopathic).

Plus, you get to enjoy Virginia Tech football on the weekends, which is an event all in itself (can you tell where I did my undergrad?)
 
emaj1n said:
I was very, very impressed when I interviewed at VCOM, the school loosely associated with Virginia Tech. Their facilities and study lounges were the most advanced I have seen. Their anatomy lab is amazing--hands-down the best in the country (I'm talking allophathic and osteopathic).

Plus, you get to enjoy Virginia Tech football on the weekends, which is an event all in itself (can you tell where I did my undergrad?)
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I doubt VCOM's anat lab is nicer than WVSOM's. Have you looked at both?
 
MaximusD said:
I doubt VCOM's anat lab is nicer than WVSOM's. Have you looked at both?[/QUOTE}

I agree with Maximus. The one at TCOM is state of the art also...plasma screen TV, computer w/interactive anatomy program and new workstations at each tank. You've got to see other school's facilities before making such a sweeping generalization about being the "best" lab in the entire country.
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Yeah PCOM's reeked (sp?) by comparison but oh well... working with dead bodies is always going to be working with dead bodies 😉 I've gotta say, and you guys can make fun of me, but getting used to cutting at dead people is going to be unnerviing for me for a while. I don't get ill or anything when I see body parts but when I see a face that still sort of sends shivers up and down my spine...
 
Working with dead bodies wouldn't be a problem for me. If you knew some of more former girlfriends you would understand why. :laugh: :laugh:
 
koennen said:
Working with dead bodies wouldn't be a problem for me. If you knew some of more former girlfriends you would understand why. :laugh: :laugh:
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So, are you know as Hannibal Koennen?
 
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Doctor Bagel said:
Who the heck cares how nice your anatomy lab is? Premeds are always focusing on these silly facilities issues, which have nothing to do with how nice/good a school is.
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Must agree. Go and do your thing and leave.
 
MaximusD said:
I doubt VCOM's anat lab is nicer than WVSOM's. Have you looked at both?
Click to expand...

No, I haven't seen WVSOM's, but the words about VCOM's anatomy lab aren't my own. I've read several articles that called it the newest, most technologically advanced lab to date (or similar words). Of course, what, two new osteopathic schools are opening this year. I suspect they will surpass them all.
 
Speaking of the plasmas, computer work stations, etc., VCOM's also has these. The vacuum system is aparently amazing, cycling the room's air something like 50+ times a minutes. The computer work stations were great, too. It's amazing how advanced these rooms have come.

In my mind, the really cool thing about VCOM's lab is how it's on the top floor, two of the walls are made entirely from glass, and the room looks out on the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beautiful.
 
emaj1n said:
Speaking of the plasmas, computer work stations, etc., VCOM's also has these. The vacuum system is aparently amazing, cycling the room's air something like 50+ times a minutes. The computer work stations were great, too. It's amazing how advanced these rooms have come.

In my mind, the really cool thing about VCOM's lab is how it's on the top floor, two of the walls are made entirely from glass, and the room looks out on the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beautiful.
Click to expand...




I'm sorry, this just struck me as funny. If it were true, can you imagine what the wind speed in the room would be?

Scalpels flying everywhere... :laugh:
 
MaximusD said:
Yeah PCOM's reeked (sp?) by comparison but oh well... working with dead bodies is always going to be working with dead bodies 😉 I've gotta say, and you guys can make fun of me, but getting used to cutting at dead people is going to be unnerviing for me for a while. I don't get ill or anything when I see body parts but when I see a face that still sort of sends shivers up and down my spine...
Click to expand...
just wait til u bisect the head w/ a handsaw.....its pretty insane.....and pray that your table isn't next to "the yellow buckets".......you could probably take a dump in there w/o anyone smelling it
 
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Taus said:
just wait til u bisect the head w/ a handsaw.....its pretty insane.....and pray that your table isn't next to "the yellow buckets".......you could probably take a dump in there w/o anyone smelling it
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Wow, that sure conjured a vivid image for me. 😱

I'm sure this will eliminate LECOM-B from many people's lists, but I don't think our lab really has any special ventilation except AC turned up real high. I never find the smell that bad, but I do find my eyes get irritated sometimes, esp when my face is up nice and close to the bodies for a long period of time when doing fine dissection.
 
ROFL..."Dr." Inviz is Account On Hold again.

Is there any kind of record for number of times suspended?? All before starting med school...excellently good work. Even DropKickMurphy doesn't cross the line nearly as much as Inviz.
 
scpod said:
Yeah...but my labcoat is still in my locker (where I left it the last day of anatomy) and it still smells like a dead, preserved body.
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Haha, mine was in there too. I guess that shows how useful our lockers are. Anatomy ended what, like 7 months ago. :laugh:
 
Riker here.

I would say the state-schools are the best, followed by the rest. Of course, the state-schools also have the hardest entrance scores requirements.
 
When I interviewed, I felt that one of the best schools was DMU. Aside from being one of the oldest D.O. schools, I was very impressed with the extra training students recieve. I plan on pursuing surgery, and DMU incorporated surgery into the program by having a suturing lab and mock OR's where students learn to insert chest tubes and learn other basic surgery procedures during the first 2 years to better prepare them for the clinical years.
 
jpatzi said:
When I interviewed, I felt that one of the best schools was DMU. Aside from being one of the oldest D.O. schools, I was very impressed with the extra training students recieve. I plan on pursuing surgery, and DMU incorporated surgery into the program by having a suturing lab and mock OR's where students learn to insert chest tubes and learn other basic surgery procedures during the first 2 years to better prepare them for the clinical years.
Click to expand...

Plus if you were ever interested in general surgery they are affiliated with Mercy Hospital (Des Moines) which has it's own general surgery residency...and yes, one of the positives at DMU is top notch technology (Surgical Labs, OR, stimulators..etc)
 
Pansit said:
Plus if you were ever interested in general surgery they are affiliated with Mercy Hospital (Des Moines) which has it's own general surgery residency...and yes, one of the positives at DMU is top notch technology (Surgical Labs, OR, stimulators..etc)
Click to expand...

STIMULATORS!!! ROFLMAO...Great, I go out on rotations & they finally get stimulators.
 
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CommanderRiker said:
Riker here.

I would say the state-schools are the best, followed by the rest. Of course, the state-schools also have the hardest entrance scores requirements.
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why are state schools better than other schools?
 
neurotik said:
why are state schools better than other schools?
Click to expand...
thats purely a matter of opinion by one poster......you've gotta take a lot of what you read of here w/ a grain of salt....

However, the state schools do happen to be very good (ie NJ, MI, and TX,etc).....and in-state tuition is a pretty sweet deal. There are several other private schools that are generally regarded as just as good or better though. (keep in mind that once again...this is just my opinion....there are no formal rankings...and rankings are a crapshoot anyway)
 
neurotik said:
why are state schools better than other schools?
Click to expand...

Theyre not.

Careful listening to Riker. He is a premed and doesnt really have much insight into this issue...he has no experience with any DO schools besides mailing them checks for applications.

State schools offer no advantage except for cheaper tuition for state residents.

BTW, of all the DO schools there are only 6 that are considered "public" schools.
 
jpatzi said:
When I interviewed, I felt that one of the best schools was DMU. Aside from being one of the oldest D.O. schools, I was very impressed with the extra training students recieve. I plan on pursuing surgery, and DMU incorporated surgery into the program by having a suturing lab and mock OR's where students learn to insert chest tubes and learn other basic surgery procedures during the first 2 years to better prepare them for the clinical years.
Click to expand...

None of this is Unique to DMU
 
jpatzi said:
When I interviewed, I felt that one of the best schools was DMU. Aside from being one of the oldest D.O. schools, I was very impressed with the extra training students recieve. I plan on pursuing surgery, and DMU incorporated surgery into the program by having a suturing lab and mock OR's where students learn to insert chest tubes and learn other basic surgery procedures during the first 2 years to better prepare them for the clinical years.
Click to expand...

Go to PCOM

We have those plus a laparascopic simulator. 👍
 
neurotik said:
why are state schools better than other schools?
Click to expand...


Steak schools are better because they give you cooked cow every day for lunch. You can also have your choice of potato and a salad with any dressing at all. Steak schools are also good because all that meat provides protein, which your body needs for the synthesis of DNA-- thus, growth. If you plan on having a healthy body, then steak schools are the ones for you. Also, the potatoes provide carbohydrates, which can be stored in the liver as glycogen and quickly used when you need energy. The salads at steak schools help provide a well-balanced nutritional environment by adding vegetables and foliage......wait......

ummmmmm.....what was that you said?

"state" schools...not "steak" schools..........

....nevermind 😳
 
scpod said:
Steak schools are better because they give you cooked cow every day for lunch. You can also have your choice of potato and a salad with any dressing at all. Steak schools are also good because all that meat provides protein, which your body needs for the synthesis of DNA-- thus, growth. If you plan on having a healthy body, then steak schools are the ones for you. Also, the potatoes provide carbohydrates, which can be stored in the liver as glycogen and quickly used when you need energy. The salads at steak schools help provide a well-balanced nutritional environment by adding vegetables and foliage......wait......

ummmmmm.....what was that you said?

"state" schools...not "steak" schools..........

....nevermind 😳
Click to expand...

mmmmmmmmm -------I'm hungry
 
TCOM
AZCOM-highest COMLEX passing rates over the past 5 years(98-100%)
DMU-awesome campus and programs
VCOM
 
VCOM is graduating its first class this year
 
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