CCOM vs. LECOM-E

[BenzylAcetate]

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Update: received an acceptance to LECOM for the DSP pathway. Still not quite sure which school to choose.

Received an acceptance to CCOM and will hear back from Lecom tomorrow or Thursday. Right now I am leaning heavily towards Lecom, but wanted to get some other opinions in case I'm not factoring something in.

CCOM
Pros
-Connections to chicago area residency programs
-Well established alumni network
-Historically strong/diverse match
-Clinical rotations

Cons
-Tuition
-Tuition
-Crazy high tuition

LECOM
pros
-Lower tuition
-PBL/DSP pathway
-Strong board scores

Cons
-Clinical rotations
-Not really interested in staying in PA long term

Overall my biggest concerns with the school I choose are the quality of clinical rotations and ability to potentially get into an MD residency somewhere in the Midwest, ideally in a more urban area. I realize residency placement is largely a factor of the individual student and not necessarily the school I go to, but certainly coming from a well connected school can't hurt. I would also like to keep costs as low as possible. I'm from the suburbs of Chicago so could potentially save by living at home if I went to CCOM.

 

[deleted562324]

CCOM. I suggest you calculate the total cost of attendance for each school (including housing) and see how big the difference is. If you don't have to move to attend CCOM, the higher tuition may not be such a big deal. Also, I value clinical education quality over pre-clinical education, which is part of why I prefer CCOM over LECOM-E.

 

[Anicetus]

If you live at home and your parents pay for your food/living etc, do CCOM.

The costs would come out to about the same if you had your own apt/COL at LECOM.

 

[ZeaL6]

I personally wasnt a huge fan of LECOM on my visit. I can't say much for CCOM because I didn't apply there solely due to the tuition. I'd say CCOM if COA is within 10-15k per year

 

[BenzylAcetate]

I appreciate the responses, but could you expand a little bit more on why CCOM? I see that teres feels the quality of clinical education is better at CCOM, anything else?

 

[Dr Yiot]

CCOM, hands down. more established school with better clinical rotations. If your cost to go to either or is going to be about the same CCOM is the superior school. Now take someone who doesnt have the advantage of living at home and would have that huge difference than I would THINK about it, but in your circumstances CCOM.

They have been around a lot longer. and since you dont want to stay in PA then meh.

 

[TwinsFan]

Getting an md residency in the Midwest won't be a problem for family med or other minimally competitive specialties but it will if you want something surgical. For the medium competitive ones like er or anesthesia you'll want to be above avg in your class and have decent board scores.

 

[deleted562324]

I appreciate the responses, but could you expand a little bit more on why CCOM? I see that teres feels the quality of clinical education is better at CCOM, anything else?

Based on what is in your original post, it seems like CCOM is a better choice for your specific situation. CCOM is an older, more established school with more connections in the area. Your goal of matching in the urban parts of the midwest would probably be more likely coming from CCOM. Also, being from the Chicago area, having a social support network, and living at home strengthens the reasons to attend CCOM, from my perspective.

At the end of the day, regarding pre-clinical education, there are so many resources available (books, videos, etc.) to learn from, that I don't believe it should be considered more important than the clinical education. Of course curriculum is important to an extent, but you can learn nearly all of the pre-clinical portions if you're resourceful, talk to professors, read outside books, etc., even if a specific department at your medical school is not so good. You only get one try at the clinical education and that is the basis for the rest of your training. Seeing that LECOM does not pay for their rotation sites, the quality and availability is not guaranteed, at least this is what I gathered from interviewing at LECOM-Bradenton, reading their website, and snooping around here on SDN. Of course, this is just my perspective...

 

[Dyerseve30]

I was faced with the same situation around this time last year, CCOM or LECOM-Erie. I choose LECOM. I talked to many attending and resident doctors and they all said the same thing, go to the cheapest school. You're first two years are going to be nearly identical. Both LECOM and CCOM have good and not so good clinical rotations (just like every other medical school). The vast majority of US medical schools DO NOT pay for their rotational sites and many (mainly MD schools) have directly affiliated hospitals. LECOM is actually one of the few DO schools that, although relatively small, has a directly affiliated hospital (Millcreek).

CCOM: $56,977
LECOM: $30,577

Seriously. That's over $100,000 you will be spending for the exact same degree (DO). This is not including interest. Do yourself a favor and buy a house with your savings.
Downer's Grove (CCOM) is a very expensive place to live. Erie (LECOM) is dirt cheap (I pay $350 a month for a nice apartment in walking distance to LECOM). Millcreek is 30 seconds away from LECOM and is a very nice community to live in.

If you don't mind having mandatory lecture and wearing a tie (you'll be wearing one the rest of your career I might add), then I would save yourself A LOT of money and go to LECOM-Erie. 56,977 dollars is ridiculous. I guarantee you will thank yourself 10-20 years after medical school.

I absolutely 100% do not regret my decision on going to LECOM.

 

[Dr Yiot]

I was faced with the same situation around this time last year, CCOM or LECOM-Erie. I choose LECOM. I talked to many attending and resident doctors and they all said the same thing, go to the cheapest school. You're first two years are going to be nearly identical. Both LECOM and CCOM have good and not so good clinical rotations (just like every other medical school). The vast majority of US medical schools DO NOT pay for their rotational sites and many (mainly MD schools) have directly affiliated hospitals. LECOM is actually one of the few DO schools that, although relatively small, has a directly affiliated hospital (Millcreek).

CCOM: $56,977
LECOM: $30,577

Seriously. That's over $100,000 you will be spending for the exact same degree (DO). This is not including interest. Do yourself a favor and buy a house with your savings.
Downer's Grove (CCOM) is a very expensive place to live. Erie (LECOM) is dirt cheap (I pay $350 a month for a nice apartment in walking distance to LECOM). Millcreek is 30 seconds away from LECOM and is a very nice community to live in.

If you don't mind having mandatory lecture and wearing a tie (you'll be wearing one the rest of your career I might add), then I would save yourself A LOT of money and go to LECOM-Erie. 56,977 dollars is ridiculous. I guarantee you will thank yourself 10-20 years after medical school.

I absolutely 100% do not regret my decision on going to LECOM.

Dyerseve 30, I am assuming you are a first year. You have not really gotten to experience LECOM all that much yet. yes you have a cheap school, with a fine education However, the clinical education between the schools are NOT equal. CCOM being in chicago has far superior clinical sites. These are just the facts. Will CCOM have some bad sites too? yup. However, considering they pay for rotations, they will not get dropped and I am going to assume that being in such an urban area the amount of pathology that one would see would be great.

You are somewhat neglecting the OP's post. He will be living at home. so that 350 you pay a month which comes out to just over 4k a year would be gone. plus take away all the utilities and commodities you would have to purchase on your own. Now the tuition wouldn't be cheaper but it would make it close enough to say that going to CCOM is worth it.

you have to factor in COA. LECOM's COA is 57k. right at CCOM's tuition. He would be paying a little bit more, for those occasional crazy nights out in downers grove. but thats about it.

PS. anatomy is over. get yourself a copy of BRS physio. you will need it.

 

[BenzylAcetate]

I was faced with the same situation around this time last year, CCOM or LECOM-Erie. I choose LECOM. I talked to many attending and resident doctors and they all said the same thing, go to the cheapest school. You're first two years are going to be nearly identical. Both LECOM and CCOM have good and not so good clinical rotations (just like every other medical school). The vast majority of US medical schools DO NOT pay for their rotational sites and many (mainly MD schools) have directly affiliated hospitals. LECOM is actually one of the few DO schools that, although relatively small, has a directly affiliated hospital (Millcreek).

CCOM: $56,977
LECOM: $30,577

Seriously. That's over $100,000 you will be spending for the exact same degree (DO). This is not including interest. Do yourself a favor and buy a house with your savings.
Downer's Grove (CCOM) is a very expensive place to live. Erie (LECOM) is dirt cheap (I pay $350 a month for a nice apartment in walking distance to LECOM). Millcreek is 30 seconds away from LECOM and is a very nice community to live in.

If you don't mind having mandatory lecture and wearing a tie (you'll be wearing one the rest of your career I might add), then I would save yourself A LOT of money and go to LECOM-Erie. 56,977 dollars is ridiculous. I guarantee you will thank yourself 10-20 years after medical school.

I absolutely 100% do not regret my decision on going to LECOM.

I agree very strongly with the point you are making and this list was essentially my reasoning for preferring LECOM. My biggest concerns are a significant difference in the quality of clinical rotations and increased difficulty in matching at a more urban academic center somewhere in the Midwest. I'm not sure just how valid my concerns are and whether or not they justify the difference in debt.

 

[BenzylAcetate]

Dyerseve 30, I am assuming you are a first year. You have not really gotten to experience LECOM all that much yet. yes you have a cheap school, with a fine education However, the clinical education between the schools are NOT equal. CCOM being in chicago has far superior clinical sites. These are just the facts. Will CCOM have some bad sites too? yup. However, considering they pay for rotations, they will not get dropped and I am going to assume that being in such an urban area the amount of pathology that one would see would be great.

You are somewhat neglecting the OP's post. He will be living at home. so that 350 you pay a month which comes out to just over 4k a year would be gone. plus take away all the utilities and commodities you would have to purchase on your own. Now the tuition wouldn't be cheaper but it would make it close enough to say that going to CCOM is worth it.

you have to factor in COA. LECOM's COA is 57k. right at CCOM's tuition. He would be paying a little bit more, for those occasional crazy nights out in downers grove. but thats about it.

PS. anatomy is over. get yourself a copy of BRS physio. you will need it.

I haven't run exact numbers, but I believe that CCOM will still be around 10k more per year than Lecom after tuition and living expenses. I appreciate your opinion because you have been through the clinical curriculum at lecom. At what point, financially, would you say it's worth everything you have had to deal with; 10k less per year? 20k?

 

[Dyerseve30]

Dyerseve 30, I am assuming you are a first year. You have not really gotten to experience LECOM all that much yet. yes you have a cheap school, with a fine education However, the clinical education between the schools are NOT equal. CCOM being in chicago has far superior clinical sites. These are just the facts. Will CCOM have some bad sites too? yup. However, considering they pay for rotations, they will not get dropped and I am going to assume that being in such an urban area the amount of pathology that one would see would be great.

You are somewhat neglecting the OP's post. He will be living at home. so that 350 you pay a month which comes out to just over 4k a year would be gone. plus take away all the utilities and commodities you would have to purchase on your own. Now the tuition wouldn't be cheaper but it would make it close enough to say that going to CCOM is worth it.

you have to factor in COA. LECOM's COA is 57k. right at CCOM's tuition. He would be paying a little bit more, for those occasional crazy nights out in downers grove. but thats about it.

PS. anatomy is over. get yourself a copy of BRS physio. you will need it.

LECOM COA 57k? Maybe if you order out 3 times a day. You can easily get by at 42k. It seems that the OP can get help from his parents too. It's easy to say he will be paying "a little" more when you don't have the tuition and interest receipt in front of you 4 years from now. Debt matters.

Here is 2013 match list for LECOM OP. If you are unhappy with the results, then CCOM might be the choice for you.

http://www.fcbc.net/archangel/woa/m...public_admissions/LECOM_2013_Match_Report.pdf

 

[cliquesh]

I went to school on the east coast and I interviewed at 4 anesthesia programs in Chicago, for whatever it's worth.

Ccom is the better school, but is it worth the extra money? That's up to you

 

[Melomare17]

go with CCOM

 

[Dr Yiot]

You have to do what you want to do my friend. Everything that you are asking can be accomplished at both schools. When it comes down to money that is up to you. I can't answer that for you bud, sorry. It sounds like what you would want to do would be easier coming from CCOM (you wanting to stay in chicago and do residency in an urban location) because CCOM already has established relationships with hospitals in the area that know their students

I went to school on the east coast and I interviewed at 4 anesthesia programs in Chicago, for whatever it's worth.

Ccom is the better school, but is it worth the extra money? That's up to you

exactly what im saying. if ccom is worth the extra money to you then go. that will be different from person to person. but lecom will get you were you want to go as well.

 

[BenzylAcetate]

Wanted to clarify a couple of things and see if anyone had other thoughts. I don't necessarily see staying in Chicago as a huge plus for med school and am not particularly attached to any area. I want to end up in a residency which will give me the greatest breadth of experiences; my thought was that a larger academic center in an urban environment would be better, is this necessarily true?

Had to de-ice my car the other morning and am starting to remember how much I hate winter. I may want to move somewhere south/warmer long term. Presumably residency location will have a larger impact (if any) on the location of my first job than med school location would. If I were shooting for a residency in, say, Texas would the two schools be equal in terms of residency connections?

 

[ph7]

Wanted to clarify a couple of things and see if anyone had other thoughts. I don't necessarily see staying in Chicago as a huge plus for med school and am not particularly attached to any area. I want to end up in a residency which will give me the greatest breadth of experiences; my thought was that a larger academic center in an urban environment would be better, is this necessarily true?

Had to de-ice my car the other morning and am starting to remember how much I hate winter. I may want to move somewhere south/warmer long term. Presumably residency location will have a larger impact (if any) on the location of my first job than med school location would. If I were shooting for a residency in, say, Texas would the two schools be equal in terms of residency connections?

From my experiences with DOs in specialties around Chicago, they all HIGHLY recommend CCOM, and this also comes from the overall medical community which simply isnt as aware of DO schools, but CCOM is a school they know and respect. I too don't find staying in chi as a massive plus but lets face it we will not find this sample of medicine/cases in any other smaller population. As to texas...I have no idea how that place works, its own lil country from what I know, but ccom will give you great source of alumni...connections.

 

[BenzylAcetate]

Wanted to clarify a couple of things and see if anyone had other thoughts. I don't necessarily see staying in Chicago as a huge plus for med school and am not particularly attached to any area. I want to end up in a residency which will give me the greatest breadth of experiences; my thought was that a larger academic center in an urban environment would be better, is this necessarily true?

Had to de-ice my car the other morning and am starting to remember how much I hate winter. I may want to move somewhere south/warmer long term. Presumably residency location will have a larger impact (if any) on the location of my first job than med school location would. If I were shooting for a residency in, say, Texas would the two schools be equal in terms of residency connections?

Bump