kcumb v. dmu -- yes, the usual lame question

[Doctor Bagel]

okay, following my gut instinct and all that good stuff, i think i've limited my decision for those huge december deposits down between these two schools. has anybody made this choice before, and if so, why'd you pick what you pick? kansas city's pluses seem to be that the city is bigger and genesis looks great. dmu's pluses are no professional scorecard, cheaper tuition and huge omm focus. i can't figure out if clinicals are too similar to make a big difference, or if one takes the lead.

any thoughts aside from the fact that kcumb's in a bad neighborhood?

edited to add that i have a done a search but want more current input.

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[medic111]

Hey exlawgrrl...I think we interviewed together at CCOM, I was the only Indian guy that toured with you. (I remembered because someone mentioned that you posted on sdn.) Anyways, I'm in a similar position except I'm trying to decide between CCOM and DMU. I'm currently thinking about going to CCOM though, only because it's closer to home and has really good rotation sites.

I've personally never seen KCUMB... I rejected my interview there after visiting DMU. I was initially planning on going to DMU because it's an amazing school with huge emphasis on OMM. Everyone there seems super-friendly and I didn't get that feel at CCOM. If I remember what you said during the CCOM interview correctly, you were really interested in OMM, so if that's the case, I would go with DMU. Sigh, who knows I may end up wanting to go there last min. We only have a few weeks to decide!!!

 

[Doctor Bagel]

hey, medic!
i do remember you. thanks for your thoughts on it. i actually haven't visited dmu yet because i interviewed in portland, but i'm going dec. 9. the omm emphasis does seem really cool to me. for some reason, i didn't get a great vibe about ccom even though i know it's a great school. their rotations are also really solid, so i'm still thinking about ccom, but i'm leaning more towards kcumb and dmu.

good luck on your decision.

 

[medic111]

hey, medic!
i do remember you. thanks for your thoughts on it. i actually haven't visited dmu yet because i interviewed in portland, but i'm going dec. 9. the omm emphasis does seem really cool to me. for some reason, i didn't get a great vibe about ccom even though i know it's a great school. their rotations are also really solid, so i'm still thinking about ccom, but i'm leaning more towards kcumb and dmu.

good luck on your decision.

Wow, you haven't seen dmu yet?! I'm sure you'll love the campus, a significant portion of the facilities are new and it's a big selling point for them.

Btw, I know what you mean about the vibe at ccom, my friends that recently interviewed there really loved the campus and felt that the students and faculty were really helpful and friendly. I have a feeling that we didn't get the best first impression for some reason. I want to listen to my gut feeling, which says to go to dmu, but I don't want to quickly dismiss a school so close to home with great rotation sites. My friends say to weigh the quality of the rotation sites more heavily than the curriculum since that's where we get our clinical education in med. school...what do you think about this? Actually I have no idea how the quality of the rotations at dmu compare with ccom, do you? I personally don't mind having to travel to sites in ohio or elsewhere since I don't have a wife or kids to worry about....thanks!

 

[LovelyRita]

okay, following my gut instinct and all that good stuff, i think i've limited my decision for those huge december deposits down between these two schools. has anybody made this choice before, and if so, why'd you pick what you pick? kansas city's pluses seem to be that the city is bigger and genesis looks great. dmu's pluses are no professional scorecard, cheaper tuition and huge omm focus. i can't figure out if clinicals are too similar to make a big difference, or if one takes the lead.

any thoughts aside from the fact that kcumb's in a bad neighborhood?

edited to add that i have a done a search but want more current input.

I think overall the 2 schools probably measure out to be the same. I cancelled my DMU interview and attended KC. I have done rotations with several DMU peeps. I didn't notice any glaring differences in our knowledge bases.

And here's the usual lame response: go with your gut!

M.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

And here's the usual lame response: go with your gut!

M.

argh, what if my gut's not working, or if have an indecisive gut? it's good to hear their both good -- my hunch is that i couldn't go wrong either way.

medic, i'm hoping my trip to dmu will clear everything up. i'm actually going to visit chicago on that same trip, so i'm going to think more about ccom -- those rotations are hard to pass up. it's interesting that your friends had different interview experiences. with us, i can't point to anything bad. everyone was nice. i just didn't walk away thinking that i really wanted to go there, even though i know it's a great school.

 

[Krazykritter]

Exlawgrrl,

I have been to both schools and choose to attend DMU. DMU's facilities are top notch and you will find out once you get here that the people and the professors are some of the nicest you will find. The open-door policy that all of the faculty have is wonderful and you can find help whenever you need it.

That being said...the only downside I have found here at DMU is the rotations. It is NOT the quality of the rotations that is lacking, however. DMU has been around a long time and has well established relationships at teaching hospitals. The problem is that these hospitals are spread out. This would be absolutely no problem for me, except that I am married and my wife would not be very excited to either move far away from our families or not see me for a week at a time. However, if you are not married and would enjoy doing rotations away from DMU, they have a great program to set you up with housing and food while you are away. So...do not let the away rotation sites scare you.

If you need any more advice or just want to find out anything else about DMU, Des Moines, or Iowa, you can feel free to email me. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Btw, I know what you mean about the vibe at ccom, my friends that recently interviewed there really loved the campus and felt that the students and faculty were really helpful and friendly. I have a feeling that we didn't get the best first impression for some reason. I want to listen to my gut feeling, which says to go to dmu, but I don't want to quickly dismiss a school so close to home with great rotation sites. My friends say to weigh the quality of the rotation sites more heavily than the curriculum since that's where we get our clinical education in med. school...what do you think about this? Actually I have no idea how the quality of the rotations at dmu compare with ccom, do you? I personally don't mind having to travel to sites in ohio or elsewhere since I don't have a wife or kids to worry about....thanks!

you know, my hunch is that your friends are probably right. i'm sure that all schools provide you with a good first and second year foundation, but the clinicals do seem to be where the schools really differ. you can't beat the convenience of having all your rotations in one city, and the ccom rotations seem really solid. i get the impression with dmu (same as kcumb and most other schools) that lots of rotations are great but some are so-so. my guess is that since dmu gives you so much flexibility, you can definitely do all quality rotations, but it's harder if you want to stay in des moines. so, yeah, if you're single and live light, i'm sure you can still get a great education. it just might require less legwork at ccom.

anyway, my update is that i just got a scholarship offer for dmu, so i guess i'm going there unless some other school decides to give me money. what's super cool is that i can conceivably just do staffords to pay for my schooling. now i'm hoping i don't hate des moines.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Exlawgrrl,

I have been to both schools and choose to attend DMU. DMU's facilities are top notch and you will find out once you get here that the people and the professors are some of the nicest you will find. The open-door policy that all of the faculty have is wonderful and you can find help whenever you need it.

That being said...the only downside I have found here at DMU is the rotations. It is NOT the quality of the rotations that is lacking, however. DMU has been around a long time and has well established relationships at teaching hospitals. The problem is that these hospitals are spread out. This would be absolutely no problem for me, except that I am married and my wife would not be very excited to either move far away from our families or not see me for a week at a time. However, if you are not married and would enjoy doing rotations away from DMU, they have a great program to set you up with housing and food while you are away. So...do not let the away rotation sites scare you.

If you need any more advice or just want to find out anything else about DMU, Des Moines, or Iowa, you can feel free to email me. Good luck with your decision.

what do you think about the ohio core? it does seem like you can stay in one area for both years that way aside from all the audition rotations fourth year. i'm glad to hear your overall experience has been positive.

 

[MsEvolution]

You can do rotations in Ohio or Michigan for at least a year, guaranteed. I want to say for sure two years, but I'm not 100% on that.

They are also working on rotation sites in the NW. Right now, for sure we have Sunnyside, WA for a full year (3rd year). We also have a site in Seattle but I don't think it's for the full year.

Not sure about Oregon... but I heard we also have a site available in Idaho.

So, they're working hard to get us into the PNW--I'm hoping Seattle will be a definite by the time I get to 3rd year!

 

[Doctor Bagel]

You can do rotations in Ohio or Michigan for at least a year, guaranteed. I want to say for sure two years, but I'm not 100% on that.

They are also working on rotation sites in the NW. Right now, for sure we have Sunnyside, WA for a full year (3rd year). We also have a site in Seattle but I don't think it's for the full year.

Not sure about Oregon... but I heard we also have a site available in Idaho.

So, they're working hard to get us into the PNW--I'm hoping Seattle will be a definite by the time I get to 3rd year!

it seems like the northwest is a really hard place to find rotations. comp has that whole northwest track thing, and even they don't have good rotations. they have some in tacoma, one in idaho, one in roseburg and one in medford. their story is that ohsu and uw take up all the good sites, which stinks for us.

it would be so cool if seattle could become a definite thing. i thought it was definitely cool that dmu seemed to have lots of nw students. hopefully i won't feel so out of place.

 

[medic111]

you know, my hunch is that your friends are probably right. i'm sure that all schools provide you with a good first and second year foundation, but the clinicals do seem to be where the schools really differ. you can't beat the convenience of having all your rotations in one city, and the ccom rotations seem really solid. i get the impression with dmu (same as kcumb and most other schools) that lots of rotations are great but some are so-so. my guess is that since dmu gives you so much flexibility, you can definitely do all quality rotations, but it's harder if you want to stay in des moines. so, yeah, if you're single and live light, i'm sure you can still get a great education. it just might require less legwork at ccom.

anyway, my update is that i just got a scholarship offer for dmu, so i guess i'm going there unless some other school decides to give me money. what's super cool is that i can conceivably just do staffords to pay for my schooling. now i'm hoping i don't hate des moines.

Congrats on receiving a scholarship! Financial assistance in the form of scholarships is a big reason to consider a school. Like I said before, I'm sure you'll love the campus and the friendly atmosphere there. As for rotations, it seems like the quality at both ccom and dmu are more or less equal, so I wouldn't worry about it as much. I think I am leaning more towards ccom only because I remember having to move to my new apt. this past summer and I feel it would be too much of a pain to move every few weeks to a new site in ohio or elsewhere. I like the idea of being able to live somewhere in chicago and maybe attend some rotations with friends who are going to MD schools in the area. Also, looking at both match lists, it seems like ccom has more students doing combined residency and specialty programs like diagnostic radiology (something I'm considering). I don't know exactly why this is, but I have a feeling that it's a result of influential faculty and rotations. Maybe even because OMM isn't as stressed here. I don't know. One thing's for sure though, I'm not attending ccom for its curriculum. I hear it's a rigorous traditional approach with frequent exams, but like you said, I'm sure both schools will end up providing a good first and second year foundation.

Good luck!!

 

[Piers]

I interviewed and was accepted at KCUMB, DMU and CCOM. I liked all of the schools. I went back on my own later to visit my 2 finalist schools - KCUMB and CCOM - and chose KCUMB. The intangibles that tipped the balance were better student body fit, wide choice of rotations, and system-based education throughout. The pro scorecard is a non-issue for me. I am very happy with my decision. That given I believe that CCOM and DMU are also excellent schools.