CCOM students

[whitecoat]

I was accepted to CCOM and UMDNJ-SOM. Although at this point, I'm leaning toward CCOM, I would like to hear from CCOM students about your experiences at the medical school. Are you happy with your decision of choosing CCOM over other osteopathic schools? How are the faculties and students at CCOM? Also, do you feel that the education at CCOM prepares you well for the board? What hospitals can you rotate during the third and fourth years? And in the past did most students receive their top choices for the Marchlist? I know I am asking a lot, but any insights would be greatly helpful. Thanks so much, and I hope to see you next year!

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[Claymore]

Congratulations on getting into two very good schools. I think you probably can't go wrong choosing either CCOM or UMDNJ. I'd be happy to try and answer your questions regarding CCOM.

I am currently halfway through my second year here, and I have been quite happy. I am confident that the quality of the teaching is excellent, and that I will be prepared for boards this summer. I do like the school itself, I think that our new Dean (she's been here for a few years now) has been pretty receptive to student input as far as making changes to the curriculum, etc. The campus itself is nice and getting better; we recently had a brand new Student Center built last summer, and our OMM labs and the library are only about 3 years old. As far as preclinical education the workload is tough, but doable. We do NOT have an attendance policy, so you are free to attend or skip as many classes as you want. We probably have more time off than any other school I have heard about (4 months for summer break, a week off after each quarter ends, and 2 weeks for X-mas) but that means things are pretty intense during each of our 11 week quarters. Expect to have at least 1 test every week. The advantage to this is that there is obviously less material on each test, the disadvantage is that during the quarter you don't get much of a break from studying. As far as clinical opportunities during first and second year, our students have the opportunity to participate in a clinic downtown once a week taking H&P's, etc. We also have a preceptorship program with docs from all specialties whom you can shadow for a few days at a time if you want. Things to consider.

As far as clinical education and residency, I have not had first hand experience with this yet, so I would defer to some of my older colleagues. However, from what I have heard I have been impressed; our students frequently rotate through places like Cook County, Christ, Lutheran General, Olympia Fields and many clinics and offices throughout Chicago. We have ample elective time (5 months) during fourth year to do electives wherever we want, including some of the bigger institutions in Chicago. I know that we usually send several people each year to competitive programs for residency. If I can answer any other questions let me know.

MS-2
Midwestern University-CCOM

 

[jay dub]

I can also throw in my two cents regarding my education at CCOM... I am a fourth year so I can answer more of the rotation questions, etc. As far as preclinical years, we truly had GREAT professors. The anatomy department was first rate (which is important since so many of the first year classes are through the anatomy dept). I would agree with what Claymore said about the first two years. Our school typically does as well, if not slightly better, as the national average on board exams. The dean really is so much more invested in the students than the previous dean. Change is always slow, and we can all find things to complain about, but what I really loved about the school the first two years was the sense of community at CCOM. Faculty really seem to care about the students and our learning. My classmates are AWESOME. It was a great environment to learn in - very supportive.

As to clinical experiences, the great thing about being in Chicago is that there are soooo many opportunities to learn in every fathomable health care environment, from the more posh private hospitals to inner city county systems. There are too many hospitals to name them all, not to mention the clinics/private offices all over the city that are available to us. The only problem with being a med student in Chicago is that there are so many of us!! I think there are six med schools in Chicago... The other thing about clinical years is that because we are at so many different sites there is a lot of commuting in Chicago traffic, but as a native of Southern California it's not THAT bad. There is benefit, though, to learning different systems and being flexible & adapting to different clinical environs.

Anyway, I think most students get one of their top three choices in the Match (I can give you more feedback on this in three weeks when I find out where I match!!). Chicago is a great city with lots to offer. If you have any more questions or specifics feel free to PM me.

Good luck!!

 

[whitecoat]

Thanks to Claymore and Jay for your detailed experiences at CCOM. I was very impressed with CCOM campus. I had a short campus tour during the interview day, but I didn't have a chance to talk to many students. I learned from some students that the curriculum for the first year is very rigorous, and that for second year is lighter. Also, I didn't see a hospital at CCOM campus, but it is great to know that they have affiliation with many hospitals. Your posts really give me good reasons to attend CCOM. To Claymore, best with your study. And I wish Jay will get his choice for residency!

 

[corona 247]

Can you tell me how well 4th yr students match into allopathic residencies? How about at Univ of Chicago?