KCOM vs COMP

[tcat]

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Like many of you I am at a crossroad. Thankfully I have been accepted to the programs at KCOM and COMP, but the dilemma now arises as to which program I will choose. For all you KCOM and COMP students, what helped you decide? I am taking into consideration a number of factors but I'd like to get feedback from you all as well. What are the pass rates for comlex and the matches like at both schools? Do students get their first choice or at least 1 of their top 3 choices in residency programs? What are the students and faculty like?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Tcat😕

 

[xXAnksXx]

WHERE SHOULD I GO....?


KCOM is a better school but UHS is so HAPPY and new...

Let me know what you have decided/...

 

[Toejam]

Great doctor have emerged from both schools. In my opinion, the "differences" in schools are negligible. It's going to depend far more on how much you put into it.

I'd go where I want to live for the next 4 + years. For me, it's Southern California.

 

[Homunculus]

decline both acceptances and hope you get into OSU next year. 😉

i would decide based on location-- residencies are really up to you through out rotations and board scores. you won't spend all your time studying-- which place is better for relaxation and enjoying yourself?

 

[docmartin]

I posted this elsewhere but I was faced w/ the decision b/w KCOM and COMP. I chose COMP mainly for location reasons...80 degrees in Dec or -10 degrees...your choice.

Also, if you consider yourself an active person, COMP will provide you w/ what you need: beach, mountains, etc. Not much to do in KCOM (but that can be a good thing if you don't want distractions).

Good luck!

 

[ramsestiger]

Go where you'll be most comfortable. It's difficult to learn if you're miserable and depressed.

Here are some things that I've told other people that are deciding:

1. Think about your interview experiences and the "feel" you got from each school. Always consider comfort level very carefully. Factor in everything and think about where YOU would be most comfortable.

2. Don't worry about the reputations. You're not dropping a name like Harvard or Stanford on the table when you say KCOM, COMP, DMU, UHS, MSU or whatver. The differences in reputations are slight, and they won't be a big deal - how hard you work is much, much more important than the slight differences in school reputations.

3. Think about how important these things are to you: weather, location, big city/small town, cozy family atmosphere/independent urban atmosphere, size of the incoming class, more gunners/more chilled out folks, amount of distractions, etc., etc., etc. What do YOU want? Forget about what everyone tells you - think about everything carefully and ask which choice would make YOU the happiest 10 years from now. After that, decide what YOU want.

I chose KCOM over COLD places. I kind of regret not applying to Nova, COMP, and Touro to a small extent, because I don't think I would have been able to say no to Florida or Cali. Of course, KCOM is a great school and I am glad that I'm going there because I would never study in Fort Lauderdale, near the Bay Area, or any part of Cali. In a way, it was a successful preemptive strike. Sorry if I rambled a little. Good luck with your decision!

 

[rbassdo]

tcat,

Check out things like faculty/student ratio and post-doc. training networking - KCOM's is very strong with several great Osteo. and Allo. post-doc. sites that reserve internship and residency spots for KCOM students only. Several KCOM faculty members write questions for the COMLEX. I also think it's worthy to note that the chair of our anatomy dept. is on the USMLE test committee and is a major contributor of questions. He tests the validity of his questions on us. Residency matching is superb - basically anything you want. I'm looking at the newly released KCOM 2003 match list and it's great - lots of diversity and lots of "big" names. A surprisingly large number of students entering specialty residencies. KCOM is known for putting out quality primary care docs, but don't think you're limited to that if you don't want to be.

Because you seem interested in board scores, here's a link that may interest you - see the bottom half of the article for your definitive answer.

http://www.kcom.edu/spotlight/primarycare.htm

Good luck.

 

[hoping4amiracle]

just wondering...do you have a link or any add'l info about the 2003 match list??

thanks for your help,

h4am

 

[rbassdo]

Originally posted by hoping4amiracle
just wondering...do you have a link or any add'l info about the 2003 match list??

thanks for your help,

h4am

h4am,

I'd be glad to send you the match list via e-mail. I'd rather not attach it to this site. What's you e-mail address?

Ryan

 

[ramsestiger]

rbassdo - Could you please e-mail the 2003 list to me? I won't post or disclose it if you don't want me to do that. My name is Amit, btw. The address is: [email protected]

As some community service for the people that are interested, I'll post the information I got for the 2002 Postgraduate Positions on interview day. Overall, it's 54 already focused on a specialization, 23 that will likely specialize after the 1 year of a rotating internship, 33 family practice, 24 internal medicine, and 10 pediatrics. Of course, my math could be off, but it seems like 77 that will specialize and 67 that will go into the traditional primary care (family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics) . I won't post it in full detail (because it would take forever), but here are the general numbers:

3 Anesthesiology (including 1 at Georgetown)

4 Dermatology (including 1 at Cleveland Clinic - that's fairly famous)

2 Diag. Radiology

15 Emergency Med. (including 1 Maryland Univ. and 2 in NY city)

1 ENT

33 Family Practice (including Ivy League Dartmouth, 5 in Cali, and 1 each at Univ. of Illinois and Wisconsin)

2 General Surgery

24 Internal Medicine (including 1 at Johns Hopkins, 1 at Cleveland Clinic, 1 at Mayo Clinic, 1 at UConn, and 1 at Univ. of Hawaii!)

1 Neurology

5 OB/GYN

3 Orthopedic Surgery

1 Otolaryn - Facial Plastic Surgery

2 Pathology

10 Pediatrics (including UC-Davis)

1 Surgery

The rest did 1 year of Traditional with a specialty:

1 Anesthesiology

5 Emergency Medicine

1 ENT

1 Flight Surgery

2 Internal Medicine

3 Orthopedic Surgery

2 Radiology

23 Rotating

1 Urology