DMU-COM vs. CUSOM

[Wil938]

Hey guys, I've just recently been accepted to both of these schools. I was wondering if anyone had any particular inside knowledge that would help me lean one way or the other. It seems extra difficult to decide, especially this year considering that we weren't able to go and physically visit the school and staff to get a feel for the environment. I've read a lot of threads saying that students thought they knew where they wanted to go until they actually visited the school and they ended up deciding to go somewhere much different than their original top choice afterwards. Wish I didn't have to decide under these circumstances :/

DMU:

Pros
- More established school and rounded out program. (Some say it's apparently the #1 DO school, debatably)
- Offers mental/physical health programs that I'm interested in.
- Has housing within walking distance of school and it's in a much bigger city.

Cons
- In Iowa which is really far away from home ( I live in Florida) and I'm not used to any sort of cold weather lol.
- I didn't get a chance to talk to staff much and from the small interactions I had, it made me less excited to go to this school even though it originally was more of my top choice.

CUSOM:

Pros
- Closer to home
- Affiliated residency programs after graduation
- I seemed to gel really well with the staff here and they made me feel excited to go to medical school
- They offer potential scholarships that I would qualify for based on their website descriptions, anywhere from 10k to 20k per year. (Obviously if I got this I would choose here, but I don't think there's a way to find out if I'll receive the scholarship before choosing to go here).

Cons
- Newer school
- Very rural town (have to drive 40 mins to get to an actual town from campus)



If anyone can add useful things to think about to the pros/cons list, that would be greatly appreciated! I almost feel like I want to go to CUSOM more just because of how well the staff interaction went, but it's hard to say that DMU wouldn't have made me feel the same if they actually gave an opportunity to do so. Any DMU students have opinions on the staff/students and overall feel of the environment?

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[harvard_of_the_west]

Congrats on the acceptances!

I interviewed at DMU a few years back and freaking loved it. I felt the faculty was very friendly, maintained an open door policy, and wanted to get to know students. I really enjoyed visiting this campus and easily would've attended there if a significantly better financial option hadn't presented itself. The student body just seemed very down to earth and very happy with their decision to attend the school. The students were eager to talk about some of the nearby bars and breweries when I asked too. Just seemed like a place people enjoy attending and living in. I have nothing bad to say about this place. I guess the cold weather might be a shock for you haha.

I've never been to CUSOM. Honestly, I'd say you wouldn't make a bad decision if you decided to go to DMU. Let me know if you have any specific questions I might be able to answer.

 

[sunshinefl]

In general, please don’t make a decision based on how well you liked the admission staff that won’t be part of your life.

I too am from Florida and want to practice in Florida. I interviewed and was accepted at DMU. I loved it! My final 2 I was picking between down to the last day I could, were DMU and NSU. I loved DMU and it broke my heart not to choose it, but in the end geography won. Some days I wonder what could have been.

In your situation, neither are in Florida, so I would choose DMU if I were you.

 

[m1redsox]

CUSOM is just so much newer that I think it would be unwise to choose them. Whereas DMU is widely regarded as at least a top 3 DO school (if not #1)—outcompeting some MD programs. Since neither school is super close to home (and you couldn’t really drive home every weekend from NC), I’d go with DMU. You could always try to visit the campuses before dropping a deposit too. Even if they can’t give you an official tour, it might be nice to walk around the cities and schools.

 

[DOctor2be95]

I'm a student at DMU, feel free to pm me with any questions! I absolutely love it

 

[samelaryan]

Congratulations on your acceptance! I’m a first year DO at DMU also coming from Florida. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions about it!