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Ok I know that this topic has been hit upon several times but I havent seen this thread since several years ago and both CCOM and PCOM have made quite a few adjustments. With the new application year, reputations change and new opinions are formed. This is not meant to be a thread that bashes apart the other school, but an inquiry on two programs that I have researched heavily and at the moment love equally. I have also received acceptances to both so this is now a very real choice I have to make.
My primary factors for a school are in order of what is important to me:
1. Residency placement as well as specific programs associated with the school
2 Where students do their rotations in 3-4 years
3. Location (I want to practice near a city and have an opportunity to see a variety of cases)
4. Price
5. Curriculum prep for the COMLEX/USMLE
6. Campus
7. Class size (smaller classes better for individual assessment and cadaver time in anatomy)
8. Prestige
I know that I have no clue what I want to get into yet(I love IM, Peds and EM), however, I want to be reassured that if I decide to specialize (pref: Orthopedic Surg, Gen Surg, Anesthesiology, EM) I will have ample opportunity to do so at the institution I choose. I am also a philly resident so I am familiar with the hospitals around here but not in Chicago. I have heard many great things about all the Chicago hospitals that CCOM roatates through and where their students find Residencies.
If Current pre meds, students and grads could provide some insight into which program is better in each of these categories and could give a little description of why you chose the way you did.
My assessment thus far would be
1. PCOM > CCOM
(Slightly better they have 38% (62% specialize) that go into primary care and have residency programs affiliated with all major surgery specialties.) CCOM I know has great ones too just not familiar if someone could fill me in.
2. CCOM >PCOM
I have heard that CCOM rotations are best due to most of them being done with other Allopathic medical schools and most of them are in the city.
3. CCOM > PCOM
( even though I have been from Philly my whole life, I like Chicago way more, + my girlfriend likes it a lot more too. COLD is not a factor for me!
4. PCOM>CCOM (the amount I would save took this one from 5 to 4)
I did out the math and with CCOM at 44 grand and PCOM at 38 + the fact that I have family around here to help save on living I would save close to 40,000 over 4 years.
5. Tie
CCOM and PCOM both have good trimester curriculums but I have heard that CCOM is a bit more demanding in terms of testing and they have above average scores on the COMLEX compared to other DO schools. Couldnt find data for PCOM
6. CCOM slight edge over PCOM
I like the campus atmosphere at CCOM, they have a lot of space and nice buildings. PCOM has only two buildings not much of a campus feel but they are both very nice facilities with some significant new technology.
7. CCOM
180-200 compared to 260+! I feel like I would get lost in the PCOM class and I want to make sure I get plenty of time to dissect the cadaver
8. PCOM
I have heard great things bout PCOM and most people seem to agree that it is always in the top 5 Osteopathic schools and better than many Allopathic schools as well. CCOM is as well and I know that financially both are pretty stable (CCOM is building a dental school and PCOM has the new athletic facility and are always advertising in local news papers.
As a note 6,7 and 8 were all very close in terms of importance. If you guys out there could correct any of this information or add some insight I would greatly appreciate it! This is such a tough choice and I am so torn.
My primary factors for a school are in order of what is important to me:
1. Residency placement as well as specific programs associated with the school
2 Where students do their rotations in 3-4 years
3. Location (I want to practice near a city and have an opportunity to see a variety of cases)
4. Price
5. Curriculum prep for the COMLEX/USMLE
6. Campus
7. Class size (smaller classes better for individual assessment and cadaver time in anatomy)
8. Prestige
I know that I have no clue what I want to get into yet(I love IM, Peds and EM), however, I want to be reassured that if I decide to specialize (pref: Orthopedic Surg, Gen Surg, Anesthesiology, EM) I will have ample opportunity to do so at the institution I choose. I am also a philly resident so I am familiar with the hospitals around here but not in Chicago. I have heard many great things about all the Chicago hospitals that CCOM roatates through and where their students find Residencies.
If Current pre meds, students and grads could provide some insight into which program is better in each of these categories and could give a little description of why you chose the way you did.
My assessment thus far would be
1. PCOM > CCOM
(Slightly better they have 38% (62% specialize) that go into primary care and have residency programs affiliated with all major surgery specialties.) CCOM I know has great ones too just not familiar if someone could fill me in.
2. CCOM >PCOM
I have heard that CCOM rotations are best due to most of them being done with other Allopathic medical schools and most of them are in the city.
3. CCOM > PCOM
( even though I have been from Philly my whole life, I like Chicago way more, + my girlfriend likes it a lot more too. COLD is not a factor for me!
4. PCOM>CCOM (the amount I would save took this one from 5 to 4)
I did out the math and with CCOM at 44 grand and PCOM at 38 + the fact that I have family around here to help save on living I would save close to 40,000 over 4 years.
5. Tie
CCOM and PCOM both have good trimester curriculums but I have heard that CCOM is a bit more demanding in terms of testing and they have above average scores on the COMLEX compared to other DO schools. Couldnt find data for PCOM
6. CCOM slight edge over PCOM
I like the campus atmosphere at CCOM, they have a lot of space and nice buildings. PCOM has only two buildings not much of a campus feel but they are both very nice facilities with some significant new technology.
7. CCOM
180-200 compared to 260+! I feel like I would get lost in the PCOM class and I want to make sure I get plenty of time to dissect the cadaver
8. PCOM
I have heard great things bout PCOM and most people seem to agree that it is always in the top 5 Osteopathic schools and better than many Allopathic schools as well. CCOM is as well and I know that financially both are pretty stable (CCOM is building a dental school and PCOM has the new athletic facility and are always advertising in local news papers.
As a note 6,7 and 8 were all very close in terms of importance. If you guys out there could correct any of this information or add some insight I would greatly appreciate it! This is such a tough choice and I am so torn.
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