DMU COM vs Western Pomona

[xxxmedicacion]

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Hey guys, long time lurker here. So i'm trying to decide between either DMU or Western. I like that DMU is a very established program and has had a very good match rate for the last four years. However, I like that Western Pomona gives me a better opportunity to get a residency in California. I was wondering if yall could give me some insight.

 

[Goro]

Well, what do you like more: ham and covered dishes, vs Mexican food?

 

[xxxmedicacion]

lol I would definitely like to stay in California if possible but I'm also wondering if DMU is significantly better than Western

 

[Osminog]

If you want to stay in CA for residency, go to Western.

 

[MADD!!!]

WesternU for sure.

 

[holdthemayo]

I loved DMU, but if matching in California is a priority then you should go to Western.

 

[xxxmedicacion]

I loved DMU, but if matching in California is a priority then you should go to Western.

Do you think it would be difficult for me to match back in California if I were to choose DMU over Western?

 

[xxxmedicacion]

Also for those who said Western over DMU, why so?

 

[holdthemayo]

Do you think it would be difficult for me to match back in California if I were to choose DMU over Western?

Comparing numbers from 2015 (the most recent I could find for Western):

Western (both campuses) matched around 70 of 319ish in California.

DMU matched 2 out of 220ish in CA. To be fair, last year DMU matched 10 in California.


Obviously there are a lot of other factors at play here. I'm not comparing the strength of the programs they matched into, or even specialty. Also, I'm sure fewer students at DMU wanted to match in CA.

If staying in California is really important to you, then Western is more likely to make that happen.

I really liked DMU, and there are plenty of good reasons to decide to go there instead. To my knowledge, the schools aren't different enough that you are going to make a big mistake educationally going to either one.

*Edit - sources for match data

DMU 2015: https://www.dmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Class-of-2015-Match-List-By-State.pdf
DMU 2017: https://www.dmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017-Match-List-By-State.pdf
Western 2015: https://www.westernu.edu/bin/osteopathic/2015_match.pdf

 

[xxxmedicacion]

Yeah I'd like to go into anesthesiology so I think DMU would provide me better resources in preparing for that, but then the other side of my dilemma is placing in California. I know that both schools are pretty OMM heavy but I'm curious as to which one will help me prepare for Step 1 and Step 2 better.

 

[Scrubb]

Western places almost 100 percent in primary care, and primary care won't pay rent in SF or livable parts of LA.

Neither of these statements are true. 66% is not close to 100%, and $200k is more than a livable salary/income in either of the areas mentioned (plenty of people get by with a lot less). Cost of living/practicing is normally factored into salaries/reimbursement, and sure, a PCP may not be living like royalty in these areas, but they can definitely "pay rent".

 

[Scrubb]

Neither of these statements are true. 66% is not close to 100%, and $200k is more than a livable salary in either of the areas mentioned (plenty of people get by with a lot less). Cost of living/practicing is normally factored into salaries/reimbursement, and sure, a PCP may not be "rich" in these areas, but they can definitely "pay rent".

200k = about 100k after taxes in either SF or LA, or 8k per month. And then you have loan repayment to consider - that's 20k per year in interest, so you're down to just over 6k per month to spend.

SF bay area apts/housing for rent - craigslist

Rents on the low end for a 1/1 range from about 4k-10k for something in a nice area.

So 200k with loans...you're on a strict budget and are house hunting.

200k was a conservative ballpark number I threw out. Also, are you from CA or the SF Bay Area? In SF, no matter if you're a young doctor or a tech worker, you should have the expectation of living with a roommate in a 2/2 (that you rent or buy) or living with a spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend in a 1/1. Then it becomes reasonable - can live in a nice place, save up, and eventually sell/upgrade.

 

[Scrubb]

"I went to med school for 10 years, now look at me, when I bring a date home I still leave a sock on the door"

Living in a 2/2 w/ another person means you have your own bedroom and bathroom, so I don't know why you'd be leaving socks on the door haha

Judging by a lot of your posts on here, you're a huge troll - goodbye. Please OP, don't take advice from this poster.

 

[MADD!!!]

Wow wow wow. Here's WesternU's match list for 2017 : http://www.opti-west.org/pdfs/2017_match.pdf

You choose what specialty you want to pursue, not your school. CA is known to have a regional bias, mostly because they get a ton of applicants who want to be in CA so they'll preferentially choose students who went to CA med schools or are from the region b/c they know they want to stay.

The thing I'm curious about is why you think DMU is better than WesternU? Just because they like to screen for higher stat applicants doesn't make them a better school. For board prep, I'm guessing they'd be better than WesternU because Western focuses way too much on OMM (apparently it's changing for next year too). I'd still choose WesternU over DMU, even if I wasn't from CA.

Also, Anesthesia is currently on the less competitive side. Won't matter much which school you go to.

 

[Medic741]

Hey there — I’m an OMS1 @ DMU, interviewed at Western U, chose DMU b/c the tuition was cheaper and liked the facilities here more. Living in Des Moines is actually pretty great. It’s a bizarrely safe/clean city, and I’m really happy with the education I’ve gotten here so far & the consensus on campus is really positive. Any specific questions feel free to pm me

 

[MADD!!!]

Pointing out an obvious absurdity - that a primary care physician cannot afford a 1/1 in SF - is not trolling.

Pointing out to OP that they will need to specialize if they want to stay in the Bay Area or low crime parts of LA is reality.

Millenials - left millenials in particular - do have a tendency to become very angry when confronted with reality. If discussions about reality are trolling, then well call me Grendel.

Very far from reality.

 

[LUCPM]

I don't think one school will give you stronger education than others. Most schools don't teach to the boards anyway and most DO scools have subpar clinical rotations. I went to DMU over CCOM, not that I regret now but more than half of kids in my class went into primary care. Moreover, majority of them matched in Midwest because demands for physicians are high in this area and you get very well compensated. So if you want to match in CA, it's reasonable to go to school there.

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[AlbinoHawk DO]

DMU is clearly the stronger organization.

Western is going to make getting residency in CA easier.

Western places almost 100 percent in primary care, and primary care won't pay rent in SF or livable parts of LA.

Talk about ignorant on all fronts here. There are plenty of specialty matches and primary care in LA

 

[Jackal123]

Hey there — I’m an OMS1 @ DMU, interviewed at Western U, chose DMU b/c the tuition was cheaper and liked the facilities here more. Living in Des Moines is actually pretty great. It’s a bizarrely safe/clean city, and I’m really happy with the education I’ve gotten here so far & the consensus on campus is really positive. Any specific questions feel free to pm me

I thought DMU's anatomy lab was very impressive.