KCUMB vs NSUCOM

[cptnjack]

Time again for another school comparison thread. I have narrowed down my acceptances to either KCUMB or NSUCOM, and would value all ya'lls input in which school you prefer so I can get some outsider input in my situation.

KCU:
Pros:
- Curriculum
- Board Scores
- Match list/specialization percentage
- Kansas City
- low emphasis on OMM?
- Elective rotation time

Cons:
- Curriculum
- Far away from family
- Rotations? Have heard mixed things about them
- Research opportunities (dont really care however)

NSUCOM:
Pros:
- Rotations
- right next to family
- University affiliated hospital in the making
- Major metropolitan area surrounded by 3 other medical schools
- research opportunities
- real uni campus

Cons:
- sharing resources with too many health professions
- not much on board scores or prep
- cant gauge the match lists
- mandatory rural health rotation in 4th year during audition/interview season apparently
- not sure about amount of time for elective rotations


In terms of tuition and costs:
NSU: 50k year tuition - apprx 84k per year with all other costs
KCUMB: 44k year tuition - apprx 70k per year with all other costs

Based on the CIB, the avg debt at graduation is 255k for both schools, so it seems like NSU offers scholarships and grants moreso than KCU (I might be mistaken). Also a note I already paid my initial 1k deposit for KCU, but have not yet for NSU if that influences anything.

I hope I didnt miss anything, let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

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[poloboy]

From your lists, it seems like you're leaning towards NSUCOM. From your cons for NSUCOM, I think sharing resources comes with positive interprofessional experiences that are useful for today's practicing physicians. Board scores and residency matches depend mostly on personal effort. The mandatory rural health rotation provides, in my opinion, diversities in patient demographics and in diseases encountered. Also, being close to family and having a support system are crucial in medical school after all.

 

[Noxy]

I know how great everyone says KCU is and I am sure that is true, but I can't comment on it because I am out of the loop! But because I basically grew up in a doctor's office in South FL I do however know MANY MANY docs personally and professionally that have graduated from NSU and are amazing. I know a few Derms, GI docs, OBGYNs, and a pediatrician from NSU who all said the exact same thing and said they enjoyed their rotations and elective time was enough (few years ago though, not sure if it changed much). They all told me to apply and go there ( no interview love for me though ). I might be biased because my daughter and I were saved by a doc who graduated from NSU though... I feel like at least for me, family is so important. Regardless of the other pros/cons it would be hard to move across the country away from family/support system if I had the option to stay near them. I say NSU because it seems they are both going to give you an amazing education regardless, but this way you can stay close.

 

[Stagg737]

Kansas City is also a major metro area (2 mil+) and has 2 other medical schools here. That being said, go where you think you'll be happy and able to succeed. I'm at KCU, and for the most part I've been very happy here.

 

[AlteredScale]

NSU

 

[cptnjack]

thank you for all your comments, I am leaning towards NOVA due to the mentioned situation of being near family, but also due to the fact that the hospital they are opening up should be up and running for rotations by my 3rd year. HOWEVER my biggest concern is regarding board scores and maximizing my chance of specializing in the chance I do decide to go a non-primary care route. In that situation, would you all say NSU would be a better bet in terms of possibly hitting those MD specialties than KCU?

 

[AlteredScale]

thank you for all your comments, I am leaning towards NOVA due to the mentioned situation of being near family, but also due to the fact that the hospital they are opening up should be up and running for rotations by my 3rd year. HOWEVER my biggest concern is regarding board scores and maximizing my chance of specializing in the chance I do decide to go a non-primary care route. In that situation, would you all say NSU would be a better bet in terms of possibly hitting those MD specialties than KCU?

You can get good board scores at NSU, study hard and study smart. The issue with KCU is there's a lack of mentorship with their clinical departments outside of primary care. This is because they have to send half their class out of KC into other clerkships affiliated with other schools. At NSU you have strong clinical depts as well as stronger research which are Also vital in obtaining a non primary care specialty.


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[poloboy]

thank you for all your comments, I am leaning towards NOVA due to the mentioned situation of being near family, but also due to the fact that the hospital they are opening up should be up and running for rotations by my 3rd year. HOWEVER my biggest concern is regarding board scores and maximizing my chance of specializing in the chance I do decide to go a non-primary care route. In that situation, would you all say NSU would be a better bet in terms of possibly hitting those MD specialties than KCU?

Someone at NSUCOM this past year matched into uro surg at Drexel, so yes, I think it's possible!

 

[NekoBeats]

Cons:
- sharing resources with too many health professions: Eh it's not a big deal. There are still places to study even when everyone has exams.
- not much on board scores or prep: See this post from last year. I will admit the school does not specifically prepare us for the USMLE
- cant gauge the match lists: See same post linked above. I think our match lists are usually pretty good. I know we got some ophtho and uro matches this year so far as well.
- mandatory rural health rotation in 4th year during audition/interview season apparently: True, unless your attendings for your rurals are super chill, this is a con.
- not sure about amount of time for elective rotations: any rotation months that aren't your ER rotation, 2 rural rotations, or 1 rural selective rotation, are able to be used for auditions/electives.

 

[SurgDoc95]

KCU but totally biased

 

[holdthemayo]

I would pick NSU. It sounds like you will be much happier there and it is closer to your support system. I don't think KCU will provide anything significant enough to outweigh that.

Either way, you are picking between two of the best DO schools so you will probably end up pretty happy.

 

[779663]

Kansas City is also a major metro area (2 mil+) and has 2 other medical schools here. That being said, go where you think you'll be happy and able to succeed. I'm at KCU, and for the most part I've been very happy here.

What about KCU makes you unhappy?

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

Always go where you'll be happiest OP. Happy people succeed. If family makes you happiest, go to Nova.

Both killer schools, congrats !


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[AlteredScale]

What about KCU makes you unhappy?

That he has to be my mentor lol

But for real he's my "big" and I'm sure I annoy the hell out of him.


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[cptnjack]

Cons:
- sharing resources with too many health professions: Eh it's not a big deal. There are still places to study even when everyone has exams.
- not much on board scores or prep: See this post from last year. I will admit the school does not specifically prepare us for the USMLE
- cant gauge the match lists: See same post linked above. I think our match lists are usually pretty good. I know we got some ophtho and uro matches this year so far as well.
- mandatory rural health rotation in 4th year during audition/interview season apparently: True, unless your attendings for your rurals are super chill, this is a con.
- not sure about amount of time for elective rotations: any rotation months that aren't your ER rotation, 2 rural rotations, or 1 rural selective rotation, are able to be used for auditions/electives.

thanks for the input; in regards to financial aid, I was reading on the com website and cib that the average fin aid/grant/scholarship is around 14k, is there any truth to that? The issue I'm seeing is that KCU seems to be around 50-70k cheaper in the long run if I dont receive any scholarship from NSU

 

[NekoBeats]

thanks for the input; in regards to financial aid, I was reading on the com website and cib that the average fin aid/grant/scholarship is around 14k, is there any truth to that? The issue I'm seeing is that KCU seems to be around 50-70k cheaper in the long run if I dont receive any scholarship from NSU

Tbh I have no idea, sorry. NSU has a 1 year OMM fellowship between M2 and M3 year, where they pay half your tuition if you do it. I don't think that's really unique to NSU though.

 

[Stagg737]

What about KCU makes you unhappy?

Mostly things which I think would be true at any med school. Insane amounts of stress before some tests, some "mandatory" events that seem to waste time, inconvenient scheduling, etc. Overall I'm extremely happy with KCU and all the things I find important (curriculum, rotations, student wellness, professors). If there's one thing about KCU that disappointed me it's that they advertised the new simulation center to our class pretty heavily, but I don't think it will be built before I graduate. I also would have like to use the cut-suits, but in retrospect working on a real person during rotations is a lot better anyway.

That he has to be my mentor lol

But for real he's my "big" and I'm sure I annoy the hell out of him.

Definitely a huge negative. Almost considered transferring when I found out you were coming, lol.

Tbh I have no idea, sorry. NSU has a 1 year OMM fellowship between M2 and M3 year, where they pay half your tuition if you do it. I don't think that's really unique to NSU though.

Most DO schools do. KCU has 6 OMM fellows (fellowship between M3 and M4) and 6 anatomy fellows (fellowship between M2 and M3), both of which pay for 2 years of med school along with a 25K stipend for the year you do the fellowship.

 

[cptnjack]

@NekoBeats are there anythings about the university NSU and COM program that you see as a con, other than the ones stated above?

 

[NekoBeats]

@NekoBeats are there anythings about the university NSU and COM program that you see as a con, other than the ones stated above?

- Exam scheduling is hell during M1 year. It stresses out a lot of students and it's quite a shock. I think the school is getting better about scheduling, but when I was an M1 we had an exam pretty much every week. If you look through my blog when I was an M1 (2013-2014), I posted our exam schedules and the subjects we were tested on. You can look at that for more insight/my impressions.

- I wouldn't say this is really a con, but having at least a basic understanding of Spanish can help. It's not a requirement to do well by any means, but if you happen to get a rotation at a core site or rurals with a heavy Spanish-speaking population, you may be given more autonomy if you can speak the language. I know some students consider this a pro because they actually learned Spanish while at Nova, so it kind of just depends on the individual.

- This has been mentioned by other students in the past, but dealing with administration can be frustrating at times.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Forgive the ignorance on this but if you do a fellowship, does that mean you graduate later?

i

Yeah you graduate in 5 instead of 4

 

[Stagg737]

Forgive the ignorance on this but if you do a fellowship, does that mean you graduate later?

Yes, which is why most schools provide significant financial benefits to those pursuing the fellowship since you're essentially sacrificing a year of attending salary to stay in school an extra year.

 

[SurgDoc95]

Yes, which is why most schools provide significant financial benefits to those pursuing the fellowship since you're essentially sacrificing a year of attending salary to stay in school an extra year.

How competitive would you say those fellowships are (at KCU)? More importantly, are they worth it?

 

[Stagg737]

How competitive would you say those fellowships are (at KCU)? More importantly, are they worth it?

Depends on what field you're shooting for and what you want to do. Financially you'd come near breaking even if you have loans and are entering a low-paying field. Fellowships are 2 yrs tuition + 25K, so ~115k. Take into account the interest you're saving on the 115k and it ends up being a trade-off somewhere between 150-200k depending on how fast you want to pay off your loans. So if you go into a field that pays around 180k or less it's an even trade-off financially.

In terms of career, it depends on your interest. I know the anatomy fellowship can help if you're looking into surgery or a field that requires research. You get more hands on experience and can get some solid first author publications out of the year if you're productive. It can also help open doors for more competitive specialties like ortho and is generally seen as a positive on your app from everyone I've talked to. The OMM fellowship won't hold as much weight, especially on the ACGME side of residency. I wouldn't recommend that fellowship unless you're genuinely interested in OMM or a less competitive field where you may utilize OMM. I wouldn't recommend either unless you're genuinely interested, but I'd say the anatomy fellowship will generally be more beneficial in terms of opening doors.

As for competitiveness, they're usually pretty competitive. Each has 6 spots, and I think they usually have between 12-15 applicants. My class was weird in the sense that anatomy only had 8 or 9 applicants and the OMM fellowship had over 20. The anatomy fellowship also has academic cutoffs as to who can apply while our OMM fellowship was open to everyone.

 

[SurgDoc95]

Depends on what field you're shooting for and what you want to do. Financially you'd come near breaking even if you have loans and are entering a low-paying field. Fellowships are 2 yrs tuition + 25K, so ~115k. Take into account the interest you're saving on the 115k and it ends up being a trade-off somewhere between 150-200k depending on how fast you want to pay off your loans. So if you go into a field that pays around 180k or less it's an even trade-off financially.

In terms of career, it depends on your interest. I know the anatomy fellowship can help if you're looking into surgery or a field that requires research. You get more hands on experience and can get some solid first author publications out of the year if you're productive. It can also help open doors for more competitive specialties like ortho and is generally seen as a positive on your app from everyone I've talked to. The OMM fellowship won't hold as much weight, especially on the ACGME side of residency. I wouldn't recommend that fellowship unless you're genuinely interested in OMM or a less competitive field where you may utilize OMM. I wouldn't recommend either unless you're genuinely interested, but I'd say the anatomy fellowship will generally be more beneficial in terms of opening doors.

As for competitiveness, they're usually pretty competitive. Each has 6 spots, and I think they usually have between 12-15 applicants. My class was weird in the sense that anatomy only had 8 or 9 applicants and the OMM fellowship had over 20. The anatomy fellowship also has academic cutoffs as to who can apply while our OMM fellowship was open to everyone.

Would you say taking gross dissection right now the semester before I matriculate will help my competitiveness for the anatomy fellowship? (Assuming I remember everything and do really well next year)

 

[Stagg737]

Would you say taking gross dissection right now the semester before I matriculate will help my competitiveness for the anatomy fellowship? (Assuming I remember everything and do really well next year)

Having gross on your undergrad transcript won't help on it's own, but picking up tricks for dissection, getting the extra practice, and having a solid knowledge foundation to help your grades in med school will. Once you're in med school think of it as starting over. No one will care what you did or what your resume had on it before med school. Once you matriculate you're pretty much starting over (unless you have research publications from pre-med school, then those will go on your CV).

 

[SurgDoc95]

Having gross on your undergrad transcript won't help on it's own, but picking up tricks for dissection, getting the extra practice, and having a solid knowledge foundation to help your grades in med school will. Once you're in med school think of it as starting over. No one will care what you did or what your resume had on it before med school. Once you matriculate you're pretty much starting over (unless you have research publications from pre-med school, then those will go on your CV).

Oh I understand that completely! Definitely didn't mean that having it on transcripts would do me any favors but rather having done a dissection. Hopefully I'll retain some of the anatomical jargon between now and the fall haha