COMP Curriculum

[subtle1epiphany]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I've read on Western U's site and here on SDN about the curriculum at COMP. All I can find out is that the first semester is loaded with almost everything and then it continues for the next three semesters in a system's based fashion. Does anyone have more information about the curriculum or better a class list for the basic science curriculum?
Also, what hospitals are affiliated with COMP?
Thanks.

 

[Sense]

I just posted this in another thread. The classes we are taking this semester equaling 30.5 units are as follows:

-Microbiology w/ lab
-Anatomy w/lab
-Biochemistry
-Histology (w/lab) and Embryology in one class
-Pathology
-Pharmacology
-Physiology
-Immunology
-OP&P

I am pretty sure it's like that each semester for the first two years. All our tests are on Mondays. I especially like the schedule they give us. They have our whole schedule each day for the whole semester noting what class is at what time and the professor lecturing.

Anatomy lab groups dissect on different days which means many days we actually get off of class at 2pm when it is not our day to dissect. That means that about 2 to 3 days a week you will get off at 2pm or 3pm while the other two days you may have to stay till 5pm. I think this is great because it gives us time to study. Also, class begins around 8am or 9am and it alternates.

COMP is affiliated with Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, Downey Regional Medical Center in Downey, Riverside Regional Medical Center in Riverside, Arrowhead Regional medical center in Colton, Pomona Valley Medical Center in Pomona, and a couple other hospitals in the area. Students do rotations there and they can always do rotations in other hospitals throughout CA including Loma Linda, UCI, UCLA, USC, and the list goes on.

Most COMP grads as a result get residencies at the above places and other hospitals throught CA. That's basically why I chose COMP. 😀

 

[dr.z]

I was over at COMP this weekend for the information session. I'll be back there for an interview early in Sept. They told us about the curriculum, and I was very intimidated. Do you know approximately how many students don't make it till 3rd year. I assume first 2 years are there to get rid of people. I didn't like the fact that everything there seemed to be memorization based.

 

[Sense]

I was over at COMP this weekend for the information session. I'll be back there for an interview early in Sept. They told us about the curriculum, and I was very intimidated. Do you know approximately how many students don't make it till 3rd year. I assume first 2 years are there to get rid of people. I didn't like the fact that everything there seemed to be memorization based.

Well I can tell you that in the 4th year class they lost 30 people in total from the 1st to the 4th year. Apparently, people dropped out each year so they went from 180 to 150. The people either dropped out for personal reasons, failed, decided to change careers, repeated years, etc. Now this doesn't mean that every single student failed out of the school. Many just repeat and still end up finishing. I'm not sure what that says but it does show that COMP has rigorous standards and if you do make it through you deserve it and should be commended.

Unfortunately, any medical school you go to will be memorized based. If you're really good at rote memorization and taking multiple choice tests, you'll succeed at any medical school. If you don't like memorization, then it'll just be a major annoyance while at any school since that's what all classes are about and even the boards.

 

[taylor92107]

Thanks for all the info sense.....very helpful 👍 👍

 

[coolness]

Our curriculum is extremely intense and rigorous. Honestly, I don't see how any other curriculum at other schools can more rigorous.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Our curriculum is extremely intense and rigorous. Honestly, I don't see how any other curriculum at other schools can more rigorous.

😱 😱

 

[Jinyaoysiu]

Personally, I think the curriculum is rigourous because it's med school. There are 30 something credit units and that is typical of any med school. Honestly, if I singled out a particular 3, or 4 unit class at COMP, the level of rigorousness would be comparable to what I've experinced in some of the more rigorous classes in college.

I went to a private university ranked in the top 25 by USnews and I did my post-bach at a top IVY and a reputable public university. Based on my experience at the public university, I could imagine someone to find COMP classes to be "extremely rigorous" if that person was used to the level of difficulty at a public university.

I remember during orientation the dean of COMP told us that the school was going to prepare us to be competitive at a national level with all schools DO or MD. I had my doubts. However during my first 3 weeks of med school, I have been consistenly impressed by my peers, by our professors and the quality of education that I've been receiving. Believe me, I know what a quality education is like and I know what good professors are like. So far the 7, or 8 professors that we've had are nothing but EXCELLENT. They are all very intelligent, friendly, and weird but true, all with great sense of humor which made lectures quite enjoyable.
Can any other MSI COMP student give a shout out and agree with me on the professors? I know we might feel different about them once we get our first set of exams back but let's give them what they are worth as of now.

In short, I believe if someone is looking for a solid med school education and have high aspirations for themselves, COMP is the right place to be. If people are wondering how to become a doctor with as little amount of effort as possible, please go to another school. In fact, please don't become a doctor at all.