KCOM and family

[craigkes]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello all, I have some questions for those of you attending KCOM. I recently found out that I was accepted and I am thrilled. I wasn't excited about going to this interview but it turned out to be a nice place. I love the small town being as how I grew up in Montana and the cirricullum seems pretty good. My question is for those of you who have wives and possibly children. Do they enjoy it there? Do they have enough to do? My wife has her masters in psychology and could work in a variety of counseling fields in the area. Do any of your spouses work in the education field at all and was it tough for them to find a job? I was talking with one of the interviewers and they mentioned that there are a lot of spouses that teach and was wondering your take on the subject.
Second question, how tough is it to find a house? I will probably be renting a house (2 br or so) and was wondering if it is tough to find. Distance from the school isn't all that important but the closer the better.
Third question....day care. Is it tough to find in the town? I was told by a tour guide that it can be a problem. I will have a little one and want to make sure that he is taken care of during the day when we are both working. I appreciate any and all information you can give me. I would love to take my wife there so she can see the place for herself but we won't have time before my acceptance/decline letter is due back. Thanks again people.

 

[OldManDave]

K'ville is wonderful, clean & SAFE place for a family. My wife & I moved there having never lived in a city less than 3/4 million or so...actually lived in Dallas the 5 or 6 years prior to moving there. Well...let's just say it was a bit of culture shock at first. Sorta like moving to Mayberry RFD. However, we very quickly came to enjoy living there & still get nostalgic about our 2 years there. And, we will never ever return to a large city again - something neither of could have imagined stating prior to living there.

Enough to do? Well, K'ville is far from an entertainment Mecca. But, the spouses tend to form their own support &U entertainment network - the student half of the pair is usually too busy to be too involved in day to dya fun & frolic. But, once you get the hang of med school, you will have more time to play than you anticipate.

Several of my classmates (class of 2003) had spouses/SOs who taught either in the K'ville schools or in the towns surrounding. If anyone's spouse is a nurse, resp therapist or other allied health professional, the hospital there gobbles them up quickly & gladly. I do not recall anyone lamenting over the inability to find employment...mind you, the pickins can be slim, but there are jobs.

Housing? Not hard to find rentals or to buy. However, a word of caution here - the vast majority of the landlords are used to renting to Truman State students who are far less selective over their accomodations. So, I would highly advise you not to rent sight unseen. Plus, if you have pets (dog/cat), anticipate a lot of resistance from the landlords.

On the north side of town, out past the WlaMart Supercenter, there is a complex of townhomes - the Woodwinds. I think it is/was some of the best rental/purchase real estate in K'ville. Prices are not bad, relatively new construction, VERY convenient to school & well maintained with an on-site property manager. There is a small playground, a pool and a couple of picnic areas w/ multiple charcoal grills. We had several fun-filled gatherings there. I used to own 801 Woodwinds Ct.

Can't say anything about childcare as we did not have any children at the time. However, the cost of living there is so cheap that is was very common for a spouse to simply stay home in lieu of working.

Congrats on accepting a slot at my alma mater. I can vouch for the excellent education you will have the opportunity to absorb. It truly is an impressive little school out in the middle of no where. I look forward to completing my residency & hopefully being invited to return as a guest lecturer.

 

[smc927]

While I was interviewing there in November my wife browsed through the newspaper classifieds and saw an ad for a three or four bedroom home on 8 acres only 4 miles from campus. It was for rent for $600 per month. Compared to where I live, and I know most other places, that is very cheap.

I'm planning to attend KCOM next year. I have a few friends who attended there as well (all married with kids). They loved it. Their wives didn't work. But I heard spouses/significant others take turn watching others kids, etc. Perhaps finding somebody to watch yours won't be as hard as you think. It may be a college town but there are parents and children there, too!

 

[Runtita]

I'm a first year in KV and have lived here for 4 years. It's a wonderful town for a family, with a real community feeling.

Jobs- Can be challenging to find, depending on your profession. KCOM, IMO, is THE best place to work in town. Good healthcare, vacations, etc. Salaries in town are not great compared to regoinal averages. The higher your education, the harder it seems to find work. But I would think that a counseling job would be easier to find, between KCOM, the hospital, Truman, the public schools, etc.

Housing- IMO, again, challenging to find- especially if you have a family and are looking for a family-suitable home. Pets do complicate the situation; it seems like the landlords here are very anti-pets. As a KCOM student, you will have access to a list of landlords who prefer to rent to KCOM students, and these places tend to be nicer. As OMD said, do not rent sight unseen. There are some really cruddy places here, and if they are close to Truman or KCOM, they tend to be even cruddier and higher in rent. Woodwinds is nice, but apartment-style. KV is severely lacking in modern apartments, but Woodwinds is the closest we get- very nice. There is also a townhouse complex next to KCOM that is nice but small. There are also houses available; the area where I live has several KCOM families and is just north of the public schools. Rent in my neighborhood for a 3-bedroom house is from $550-700. I live a little over a mile from KCOM and can bike in in warm weather. (KV is so small that living "close" to campus really has no meaning!)

Childcare- Once again, challenging. Very word-of-mouth for infants or toddlers. Not many centers, mostly home providers. Truman has a good preschool as does the public school and the Lutheran church in town. The public school has afterschool care for a fee. The local YMCA has afterschool care free for members. The state has a childcare provider referral service that can send you a list of area providers who have registered with them.

As far as spouses being happy, it all depends on what you are accustomed to. I know a spouse who is from a big city who thinks that KV is so boring. Other spouses love the security and community feeling here. My family loves KV and we have found that we have forged true friendships here. We have to make our own fun, and that brings us closer to our friends. People help out here. People share, not only in the classroom, but in general.

KV is not perfect by any means, but no place is. It's a great place to have a family.

Oh- follow the link in my sig for links to local info.

 

[craigkes]

Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it. I am sure my wife will be happy being as how we are both from small towns. I will be taking your advice and thanks again.