family place

[jasyn]

i have been gathering information about med schools for some time now. the time to test and apply rapidly draws near. however, there are some things i am concerned about and would like as much (honest) input as possible from the people (you) who are not paid to read the script to prospective students...

i would like to know which schools are "family friendly"...that is..i have two small children (one in school and the other will be starting school while im in MS). i would like to find a school that is in or has a small/medium community (within commuting distiance) and is SAFE. Also, i would like for it to be one that doesnt require moving around too much (if at all) for clinical rotations.
if this is too unrealistic, please let me know...otherwise any insight would be greatly appreciated..thanx



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[Gregory Gulick]

When I interviewed at AZCOM, I found it to be incredibly family friendly. They have on campus housing that would be, in my opinion, great for someone with a family. The apartments of spacious, reasonably priced, and they even have a playground.

So take a look at AZCOM. Just be sure you apply early. My interview there was in September and I was accepted in early October (before most of my friends even completed their applications).

Good luck!

 

[macey]

jasyn,
You might want to consider KCOM as a school with a "family" feel to it. When I interviewed there, I stayed with a student and his family (he has three kids). His wife spent the most time with me and said that a lot of students have families and there are many activities provided by the school that include families. Their kids walk to school every day and they will be staying in Kirksville for the rotations. Though KCOM has a lottery for rotations, it appears that the students who have families and roots in the community usually stay in Kirksville for the third and fourth years. The students who like to travel usually choose to go away for their rotations. Kirksville is a very safe town and ideal for raising a family in my opinion. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[RC]

hey there JAYSN,

another option is for you to look into the Des Moines program. i'll be attending this fall and am also from the area. it's iowa, what can i say...friendly midwestern people, not much crime, the public school system is the best in the country (at least according to SRA, SAT, ACT scores), cheap living expenses, and the neighborhoods around the school seem pretty nice. i believe the school gives more consideration to those students who have families for the rotations in the hospitals and clinics in des moines area. i'm not 100% sure about the rotation issue so it'd be wise to look into that. give the school a call, the folks there are extremely friendly and helpful. good luck, rene

[This message has been edited by RC (edited 02-28-99).]

 

[rickh]

I am a student at KCOM and I have a family. This is a great place to go to school if you have a family. This is the only school I interviewed at that incouraged you to bring you spouse along on interview day. They have a great organization for spouses and significant others. It is a small college town (about 18000). And if you want you can stay in Kirksville for your clinical years. If you do have to move after your first two years it will only be once. Housing here is also very cheap. We pay $450 for a nice 2 bedroom condo. Before I talk it up too much let me say that it is three hours from the nearest airport, the winters are cold, and it is 1 1/2 hours from the nearest mall (that can be a good thing when you are living on loans). With that said I still would rather be here than anywhere else, because of the education at KCOM and the way they treat families.

 

[av8r]

One thing to consider is that most of the osteopathic schools have older students, thus students who are also parents. I have taken my kids to OSU-COM with me several times and I have always been impressed with how the students there interact with them. As for Tulsa, it is a beautiful city with good schools, and reasonably priced housing, etc.