Help! I have my choices (wow...is that weird to say) between both of these stellar schools, and I can't seem to make up my mind officially. There are plenty of posts talking about both of these schools individually, but none comparing the two from this year, and schools change all the time. Any current students or other applicants have any input? I would GREATLY appreciate it!
I'm actually not going to either school now that I've gotten into one of my top choices, but before that letter came I was trying to make the EXACT same decision. So I'll walk you through my thought process.
I loved KCOM. Absolutely loved it. The students were among the friendliest and happiest that I have met anywhere on the interview trail, and I had very positive interactions with the staff and faculty. There was this very tangible sense of community among the students, which was a huge plus for me. Also, at many of the osteopathic schools I applied to, I noticed that some of the students seemed to have a real chip on their shoulder about being at a school that some people regard as second-tier, but I didn't encounter that attitude at KCOM. The only downside for me was the isolation of Kirksville. While I had no problems with the town itself, it is really isolated from everything. The idea of having to drive 90 min to get to Target or Olive Garden just seemed daunting to me. It also makes for very hairy traveling when your family lives in Massachusetts!
UNECOM was okay. It was my second interview, and at first I had a fairly iffy impression, which I think was partly because I was so new to the whole experience of visiting med schools. The student body was much more diverse than KCOM's in terms of life experience/background, to the point that I felt it was actually a problem. It seemed like everyone I met was older and married with kids, which is fine, except it's harder for me as a young single person to form strong friendships with those folks. The faculty were very nice, but one woman -- I think she was a dean or something -- was really infantalizing (she made us repeat our "good morning" when she deemed the first one to be too quiet). I ended up visiting UNECOM a second time because it's not far from my home, and that ended up being a much more positive experience. I met some neat people who I could envision being my classmates. One thing I did not like was the fact that the medical school and the undergrad school are physically in the same place. There were lots of 19 year olds playing frisbee, and I felt like I was back in college. This may not be a problem for you, but it irritated me. I wanted to feel like I was around grown-ups.
In terms of gut feeling, KCOM wins, hands down (for me). However, I ended up overanalyzing the situation way too much and put down a deposit at UNECOM after withdrawing from KCOM. I rationalized that since I wanted to ultimately practice on the east coast, I would be at something of a disadvantage going to school in the midwest (this is what my premed advisor told me, and on reflection, I disagree). If I had it to do over, I would choose KCOM over UNECOM. Luckily, it ended up being a moot point for me.
