As for the school, I've only heard good things. The facilities are supposed to be amazing. The only concern I knew of was that the 3rd and 4th yr rotations weren't as concrete as other schools. I know some students may have had to relocate to do a certain rotation or two, but I'm not sure how it is today. Something you should definitely contact the school about, especially if you are going to live with your g/f. Also, if you plan on going back to wisconsin, see what ties the school has to doing rotations near your home.
Hope this helps.
I can't add too much since I only interviewed there this January, but I have a few OMSI and OMSII friends at DMU. Rotations for 3rd year are more focused on the IA area with some inclusion of Ohio if I remember correctly. My impression after interviewing at a few different schools (sans LECOM), was that many schools seem to be retracting a little bit more in terms of their rotations - they seem to be preferring that 3rd year rotations are done at programs they are more familiar with (eg, within the state or frequently at Ohio) and a little less flexibility as was permitted in the past. That can be a good thing though - you are nearby the campus (good if you are worried about housing (especially with significant other's), you can use the simulators on-campus if you get a chance, feedback and rotation quality is probably more closely monitored, and relationships may be a little easier to build?). "Audition rotations" are possible in the 4th year if you want to go to some specific rotation somewhere else.
As for DMU specifically, they seemed to have a great program going for them. They are the 2nd oldest in the country (as per the CIB), but they recently renovated their building so everything is what? less than 3-4 years old or so? Very nice resources, good technology (class schedule is placed in your Microsoft Outlook calendar), outstanding simulators (clinical with Noel, and regular, as well as a ~surgical suite simulator). They also have a good research arm to their school, too, if you are interested in it. Fitness center was amazing - aerobic/weights, indoor track (I can't remember the ratio), basketball court, yoga/kick boxing/dancing-like room, etc....both of my friends go there to unwind after a long day of class.
Des Moines didn't seem that bad to me. They have a breezeway that connects the major buildings together downtown. Although I didn't walk around the "city" during my interview trip, I would be VERY happy not to have to leave the breezeway into the -36F deep cold spell that came through (apparently a 30 year record - just my luck =). DMU also has a great rep of producing professors. I met a DMU professor on my LECOM and AZCOM interviews and I'm sure that you'll see some when you are interviewing, too!
The campus is setup from the city slightly, good neighborhood and all (but again, I'm comparing to Philly's standards...). Housing is affordable and obtainable very close to campus.
Overall, I was very impressed with the program.
Best of
