How did you choose?

[czanetti]

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If you were to make a choice between Nova, TCOM, UMDNJ-COM, LECOM-Brandenton, PCOM, VCOM

I want to be in a warm area, I want a cheap tuition and cost of living, and I want to be in a very diverse student enviroment (a student body with many different cultures).

Does this fit for any one of these schools????

 

[czanetti]

please help

 

[DrBowtie]

please help

How would you rank the relative importance of all of these factors?
I don't think any of those fit all the criteria. A few hit 2-3.

 

[Soccer885]

If you were to make a choice between Nova, TCOM, UMDNJ-COM, LECOM-Brandenton, PCOM, VCOM

I want to be in a warm area, I want a cheap tuition and cost of living, and I want to be in a very diverse student enviroment (a student body with many different cultures).

Does this fit for any one of these schools????

I don't really know, but LECOM-Bradenton is in a diverse area. I live in Tampa (about an hour or so away from Bradenton) and I know that bradenton and the surrounding area is very diverse. It is also a very warm place, I think last year we didn't get below 80 (as a high) until late december. It's also very pretty with lots of beaches. Tuition isn't bad at LECOM-Bradenton but the cost of living will be kind of high compared ro other places. The same will go for Nova, diverse, nice area, but high cost of living. To me the cost of living isn't a big issue since I have lived here my whole my, however it could be a major factor for other people like yourself. I recommend doing some research on the areas and finding how there cost of living compares to the national average. That's what I did.

As for the diversity of the students, you should visit the schools (at least when you have your interview youwill be able to) and then ask the students there about diversity. You could also try the osteopathic forum and ask actual students on there.

Good luck!

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

If you were to make a choice between Nova, TCOM, UMDNJ-COM, LECOM-Brandenton, PCOM, VCOM

I want to be in a warm area, I want a cheap tuition and cost of living, and I want to be in a very diverse student enviroment (a student body with many different cultures).

Does this fit for any one of these schools????

Location, COL, Tuition and student diversity are factors that you should consider, but not even close to all of them. As BrettBachelor indicated, some of your choices hit a few of your criteria. If you haven't already, go to the interviews first. My preferences varied considerably between pre- and post-interview.

 

[erleichda]

If you were to make a choice between Nova, TCOM, UMDNJ-COM, LECOM-Brandenton, PCOM, VCOM

I want to be in a warm area, I want a cheap tuition and cost of living, and I want to be in a very diverse student enviroment (a student body with many different cultures).

Does this fit for any one of these schools????

UMDNJ-SOM #1 in diversity among DO schools. If you move to NJ you become a resident during the first year and pay in-state tuition - I think it's around $22,000. Not so warm during the winters though...

When I visited PCOM, there seemed to be a lot of diversity there among the students as well. PCOM and UMDNJ-SOM are very close to each other so I'm sure the weather is the same...

This is all I know about the schools you listed, hope it helps.

 

[joueaupluie]

PCOM only really fits the diversity criteria. The weather is only really warm in summer, fall and spring are variable. Tuition is midrange (34k) and cost of living is kind of high.

VCOM is near the mountains so its not too warm. Cost of living is lower, tuition is lower (30k). I'm not sure about diversity.

Sorry i can't really help you on the other schools.

are you trying to decide whether to go interview or where to attend? If you already interviewed, did you get a sense of where you fit in?

 

[czanetti]

I had an interview at TCOM- good school not very much diversity at all, good price, warm climate. Cost of living not to bad

Interviewed at NSU-COM- Good school, 2nd or third in diversity out of all osteo schools, Tuition is really high, nice climate. Cost of living bad

UMDNJ-COM- Interview Nov. 7th- I know high in diversity #1, good school, great tuition (instate easily accessable), Not a warm climate, cost of living ok

Lecom- Brandenton- Interview Oct 13th- worried about it being a new school , good tuition, good climate, not sure about diversity until I go there. Cost of living not to bad my grandmother lives by the school (im from new york) she might be able to help me out

I would rate factors in this order:
Climate
Cost
Diversity



all of them are important to me though so a little bit of each would be good. Based on all this information I am starting to lean a little towards UMDNJ but NSU-COM was amazing, I guess I just need to see UMDNJ and LECOM-Brand to make a decision but if anyone else has any suggestions/comments please add

 

[czanetti]

NSU-COM I felt like I could fit in very easily but the cost was killer, Im figuring out weather or not I should even go to my interview in VCOM based on basic information and what I am looking for I have that on the 30th of Oct. I am awaiting a responce from PCOM but I would go to UMDNJ over PCOM just based on tuition alone.

 

[Orthodoc40]

NSU-COM I felt like I could fit in very easily but the cost was killer, Im figuring out weather or not I should even go to my interview in VCOM based on basic information and what I am looking for I have that on the 30th of Oct. I am awaiting a responce from PCOM but I would go to UMDNJ over PCOM just based on tuition alone.

But I've heard NSU has that deal where if you take a year to do OMM then your 3rd & 4th year are free or something. So your cost issue changes dramatically there - and now you have your warmer weather and diversity, too!

 

[joueaupluie]

Interviewed at NSU-COM- Good school, 2nd or third in diversity out of all osteo schools, Tuition is really high, nice climate. Cost of living bad

UMDNJ-COM- Interview Nov. 7th- I know high in diversity #1, good school, great tuition (instate easily accessable), Not a warm climate, cost of living ok

is the climate in NY that differnt from NJ?

 

[czanetti]

No the climate is basically the same in NY as it is in NJ

 

[exigente chica]

I think NOVA is ideal for all of your criteria except cost of living. Nova is super diverse and in a very diverse city..South Florida has more countries represented that most..the instate tuition is not bad at all..and you can't beat the weather.

I love Nova😍

 

[scpod]

Lecom- Brandenton- Interview Oct 13th- worried about it being a new school , good tuition, good climate, not sure about diversity until I go there. Cost of living not to bad my grandmother lives by the school (im from new york) she might be able to help me out

I would rate factors in this order:
Climate
Cost
Diversity

Let's take them one at a time:

Climate- West coast of Florida; 'nuf said.

Cost- Tell me where else you can get this weather, beaches, and out-of-state tuition for $26,000. The cost of living isn't really that bad, either. Buying a house, however, could be expensive.

Diversity- This year's class has students from 34 states, including Alaska, North Dakota, Washington, California, Texas, etc... There are students whose background is from Iran, Columbia, the Carribean, and Russia, in addition to quite a few Asian countries.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

But I've heard NSU has that deal where if you take a year to do OMM then your 3rd & 4th year are free or something. So your cost issue changes dramatically there - and now you have your warmer weather and diversity, too!

That is true, you graduate in five years, but your 3rd, 4th, and 5th years are paid for. There is financial incentive. However, you have to apply for the OMM or research fellowship. In either case, you have to have the GPA and the expertise in research or OMM. If you're not devoted to either, you will not be picked.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

NSU-COM I felt like I could fit in very easily but the cost was killer, Im figuring out weather or not I should even go to my interview in VCOM based on basic information and what I am looking for I have that on the 30th of Oct. I am awaiting a responce from PCOM but I would go to UMDNJ over PCOM just based on tuition alone.

I would have to say that the cost of NSU is nothing compared to the other ones. In terms of tuition alone, UNECOM, COMP, NYCOM, PCOM, and ATCOM, TUCOM, CCOM, DMUCOM, LECOM PA were higher. I do understand that the COL is higher, but in terms of the CA schools and New England it is relatively lower. Also, according to the stats on room & board, NSU's R&B is comparable or less than many of the other DO schools. If I were you, I wouldn't be limiting myself until I get multiple acceptances unless you're set on a school that you've already gained admission to.

 

[scpod]

I would have to say that the cost of NSU is nothing compared to the other ones. In terms of tuition alone, UNECOM, COMP, NYCOM, PCOM, and ATCOM, TUCOM, CCOM, DMUCOM, LECOM PA were higher...

NSU tuition is Higher than DMUs and is $6,375 per year higher than LECOM. NSU tution is from <2 to 5.5 thousand lower than the others.

I do understand that the COL is higher, but in terms of the CA schools and New England it is relatively lower...

The only places that COL is higher than Ft. Lauderdale are COMP (not by much) and NYCOM. COL in Ft. Lauderdale is a good bit higher than most. It's at least 30% higher than the national average, and some indexes claim it's higher than that. In the housing category It's ata least 75% higher than average. You mentioned New England specifically and it's only 12% higher than the national average overall; 15% for housing.

 

[tcom200901]

I am curious why the educational experiencer, board scores, and/or quality of education was left out of your list? You have listed many schools in nice climates, but I would think quality of the educational experience would be on your list, and at the top?

In terms of weather, go to florida
In terms of diversity, you probably can't beat NYCOM
What are you really looking for, and have you asked yourself why?

tcom200901

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

NSU tuition is Higher than DMUs and is $6,375 per year higher than LECOM. NSU tution is from <2 to 5.5 thousand higher than the others.



The only places that COL is higher than Ft. Lauderdale are COMP (not by much) and NYCOM. COL in Ft. Lauderdale is a good bit higher than most. It's at least 30% higher than the national average, and some indexes claim it's higher than that. In the housing category It's ata least 75% higher than average. You mentioned New England specifically and it's only 12% higher than the national average overall; 15% for housing.

I think I'm sore about living in a state that ranks high in terms of the cost of housing and living... 🙂

In terms of tuition, I can give you DMU, LECOM, but not UNECOM, TUCOM, or PCOM. Don't know about the other ones. I think NSUCOM ranks somewhere in the middle.

I was mainly using room & board statistics from U.S. News. Anyways, you're at Bradenton, you're biased 😛

 

[kaikai128]

Things that were most important to me when I applied:
(In no specific order)

--Location (I didn't want to live in a small town)
--Clinical Education (I want a great clinical education, I didn't care so much about the first two years--bc I want to be a good clinician, and I don't think pre-clinical education has anything to do with being a good clinician).
--Quality of the Facilities
--Impression from Interview
--Private (since I was going to be out of state, I didn't apply to public schools)
--Length of time to independantly study for boards (I am an independant learner, class is generally useless when it comes to long-term retention).
--Early Clinical experiences

 

[czanetti]

Quality of schools is absolutly important when I started this I looked back and realized thats why TCOM, UMDNJ are still at the top of my list. Board scores are mis leading because some schools give pre tests and the students that don't do well on those tests don't get to take the boards. NSU com isn't nationally ranked I know it won an award in 1997 for medical education but that was about all I could find UMDNJ seems like a great school as does TCOM I also found out today that TCOM also offers that fellowship program which would make the cost even better so thats somthing that is swinging me too

 

[DropkickMurphy]

That is true, you graduate in five years, but your 3rd, 4th, and 5th years are paid for. There is financial incentive. However, you have to apply for the OMM or research fellowship. In either case, you have to have the GPA and the expertise in research or OMM. If you're not devoted to either, you will not be picked.

Hey, to save tens of thousands of dollars I think I could fake dedication to OMM, although I wouldn't have to fake my interest in research.

--Location (I didn't want to live in a small town)
--Clinical Education (I want a great clinical education, I didn't care so much about the first two years--bc I want to be a good clinician, and I don't think pre-clinical education has anything to do with being a good clinician).
--Quality of the Facilities
--Impression from Interview
--Private (since I was going to be out of state, I didn't apply to public schools)
--Length of time to independantly study for boards (I am an independant learner, class is generally useless when it comes to long-term retention).
--Early Clinical experiences

I would tend to agree with you except I don't want to be in a big city (unless it saves me a bunch of money on tuition).

 

[scpod]

I also found out today that TCOM also offers that fellowship program which would make the cost even better so thats somthing that is swinging me too

Just keep in mind that it's practically impossible to get into TCOM as an out-of-state student. In fact, it's kind of difficult for a lot of in-state students to get into.

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

NSU-COM I felt like I could fit in very easily but the cost was killer

I live in South Florida and I can tell you... the cost of living all depends on how far you're willing to drive every day. If you want to live right next to the school, well... you have to bite the green bullet.

However, if you are willing to drive 30 minutes each day, you should be able to go north a bit and save some money. For instance, my friends who attend FAU pay about $500/month in Boca (if you have a roommate) -- which I think is a reasonable cost of living.

If you seriously want to attend a school and the one thing holding you back is cost of living, fly down after being accepted and take a couple days to get a lay of the land -- you might be surprised what you find.

 

[czanetti]

all this taking into factor I am trying to way in value of education now I know everyone can say every medical school that you attend you can obtain valued medical education but School rankings have to mean something and if not rankings then residency placements?? I don't know I would really like to got to NSU but avg. MCAT scores and GPA are a little low board pass rate according to one of the Clinical professors at the school said was over 90% which is good but kind of vague. How can I determine weather a school has a great education program?? how did those of you who were fortunate to have a choice in were to go choose when considering this category?? TCOMs numbers look impressive but should I base a decision off of that when I went for the interview it went extremely well it was a good school but when I went to NSU it blew me away. But numerically NSU doesn't add up in comparison to cost, ranking, board pass rates. What does NSU have on TCOM ? I'm not trying to start a war here but I need some input

 

[MikeyLu2010]

i live less than 3 miles from NSUCOM...and my roommates pay less than 600/month and i pay 630/month for rent...its not THAT bad.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Hey, to save tens of thousands of dollars I think I could fake dedication to OMM, although I wouldn't have to fake my interest in research.



I would tend to agree with you except I don't want to be in a big city (unless it saves me a bunch of money on tuition).

lol...to feign dedication to OMM will result in spending a whole year doing OMM in a clinic. There is some involvement with other forms of medicine, however, you will be running the clinic with other OMM professors and teaching OMM to students. I would have to say a whole year of feigned dedication can be hard...especially if you don't like it.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

i live less than 3 miles from NSUCOM...and my roommates pay less than 600/month...its not THAT bad.

I agree it's not that bad. I'm from Massachusetts where you'll have to spend a grand to get a decent place. I do understand south Florida is more expensive than the midwest, but what do you expect?

 

[Orthodoc40]

all this taking into factor I am trying to way in value of education now I know everyone can say every medical school that you attend you can obtain valued medical education but School rankings have to mean something and if not rankings then residency placements?? I don't know I would really like to got to NSU but avg. MCAT scores and GPA are a little low board pass rate according to one of the Clinical professors at the school said was over 90% which is good but kind of vague. How can I determine weather a school has a great education program?? how did those of you who were fortunate to have a choice in were to go choose when considering this category?? TCOMs numbers look impressive but should I base a decision off of that when I went for the interview it went extremely well it was a good school but when I went to NSU it blew me away. But numerically NSU doesn't add up in comparison to cost, ranking, board pass rates. What does NSU have on TCOM ? I'm not trying to start a war here but I need some input

You can't really predict these things for yourself ahead of time. You just have to choose the school that feels like it will be the best fit for you. The best fit for you = your best success = your best future. 🙂

 

[jbone]

If you want my unbiased opinion it would have to be...





DMU.


oh wait....

 

[DropkickMurphy]

lol...to feign dedication to OMM will result in spending a whole year doing OMM in a clinic. There is some involvement with other forms of medicine, however, you will be running the clinic with other OMM professors and teaching OMM to students. I would have to say a whole year of feigned dedication can be hard...especially if you don't like it.

It does interests me.....I just don't see it being nearly as applicable as some like to believe (basically anything beyond musculoskeletal is questionable at best).

But then again, my first choice is DMU....simply because of the JBone......the blackest white guy I know 😉

 

[fika00]

If you were to make a choice between Nova, TCOM, UMDNJ-COM, LECOM-Brandenton, PCOM, VCOM

I want to be in a warm area, I want a cheap tuition and cost of living, and I want to be in a very diverse student enviroment (a student body with many different cultures).

Does this fit for any one of these schools????

Western COMP is diverse and the weather is beautiful- it is southern california. I think if you buddied up with a roommate you could pay around 700 dollars a month. If you want your own place I would say that you'd pay around 1000 maybe a little less or a little more depending on location and how big the place is.

define diverse: Lots of Asians, some hispanics, possibly a few american indian and middle eastern.