KCUMB vs UNECOM

[zamitide]

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Hey all,

I was accepted into KCUMB a few weeks ago ($2000 acceptance/matriculation fee already in), and I just received acceptance from UNECOM (initial deposit is due by May 17th). I was wondering if you lovely people could help me out with this decision. Please see info below:

Location:
I was born and raise in Lowell, MA (urban setting). I have friends and family in MA. Staying close to them is important to me, but a good education is paramount. UNECOM seems to get the point on this one.

Cost:
Looking at KCUMB's financial aid folder: First year: Cost of Attendance = $65.5K (Tuition = 42 K, Total educational expenses = 45.5K, Total living expenses = 20K)
My estimates based on UNECOM website: First Year: Cost = ~69.5K (Tuition = 48.8K, Total educational expense = 51.5K, Total living expenses = 18K)
Let me know if I dont have the right figures or if I've miscalculated something. (I was hoping UNECOM would be cheaper 🙁 ...). Cost is a huge factor for me. And I think KCUMB gets this point.

Medical Education:
I'm looking to go into Primary care/Pediatrics. UNECOM is rated 38 ish (?) on US News and World Report for primary care (I think) and as top 5 in turning out the most Primary care physicians among the naion. UNECOM gets the point (?). KCUMB is un-ranked.

Ethnicity/Diversity:
I've been accustomed to living/learning in an ethnically diverse community/setting. I'd like to have a local Vietnamese community to stay in touch with my heritage, however I'm open to new experiences. KCUMB's Kansas City (~0.7 % vietnamese population) seems to get this one; no data on Portland.

Extra-curricular/other concerns:
KCUMB has a large class size (I think).
From what I know, UNECOM also has the undergrads on campus along side the med students. I'm thinking that this mix might create an interesting/lively environment (questionable).
UNECOM has a beach coast campus and new buildings coming up (exciting).

That's all I've got. I have yet to really look thoroughly into the schools' facilities and quality of education. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Right now, it looks to be a tough decision. Please, feel free to post your thoughts! Let me know if I've over looked something.

 

[zamitide]

Forgot to mention that I received KCUMB's Presidential Scholarship:

Amount: $10,000
Applied toward: Tuition costs
Non-Renewable: No (first-year only)

Might play a factor~

 

[chicago5950]

You've already paid 2K and you've got a 10K scholarship to KCUMB?

... is this a serious question?

 

[zamitide]

imo, distance is a huge turn off
also, i just looked at the female-male ratio ... UNECOM>KCUMB

 

[FSUchess99]

female to male ratio is a concern? How about the 1M+ of each gender living in KC?

take the money, OP. Unless distance is the overriding factor.

 

[yellowperil]

Forgot to mention that I received KCUMB's Presidential Scholarship:

Amount: $10,000
Applied toward: Tuition costs
Non-Renewable: No (first-year only)

Might play a factor~

$10,000 in scholarship and you are asking this questions. Even if it is for the first year, you are saving $10k.I would pick KCUMB.

 

[zamitide]

Money aside, is KCUMB much better than UNECOM in terms of its quality of education? UNE's 1st time comlex scores are 94.5%; I can't find KCUMB's numbers... I know passing the comlex is primarily an individual thing, but the quality of education certainly has a part to play.

On a different note, looking at KCUMB's 2010 residency matches, I noticed that there were no MA residency listings; wereas UNECOM's matching had several MA matches. Will attending UNECOM increase my chances of getting into a New England residency? (I guess you can say I am attached to staying close to home)

 

[Hemorrage]

Unecom is the obvious choice, your in love with it

 

[zamitide]

I was leaning towards UNECOM, but I'm not so sure any more.

Turns out in 2009, KCUMB had a 98% comlex pass rate and last year there was a MA residency match. :/ decisions, decisions ~ ...

For those who chose KCUMB, was money the only reason? If not, why did you choose KCUMB over UNECOM?

For those who chose UNECOM, why UNECOM?

 

[RIdoc11]

I am from RI and am attending KCUMB.... I visited UNECOM before applying to schools and Biddeford, ME just wasn't doing it for me. I also liked the campus better at KCUMB (not sharing it with undergrads). As far as education, I believe you will be as successful as you set yourself up to be at either school. However, with cheaper cost of attendance + presidential scholarship at KCUMB (+ the 2k you would forfeit) I think KCUMB would be the right choice.

 

[zamitide]

Hey all,

I'll take some time to think more about it, and I'll let you know my final answer in a few days. Thanks for all the insightful input!

 

[J-Rad]

Hey all,

I was accepted into KCUMB a few weeks ago ($2000 acceptance/matriculation fee already in), and I just received acceptance from UNECOM (initial deposit is due by May 17th). I was wondering if you lovely people could help me out with this decision. Please see info below:

Location:
I was born and raise in Lowell, MA (urban setting). I have friends and family in MA. Staying close to them is important to me, but a good education is paramount. UNECOM seems to get the point on this one.

This is going to be the trickiest part of figuring out: How important will being near to home/family be to you when you are in med school? The truth is, time will be a precious commodity anywhere you go and the amount you spend with anyone outside a 1/2 hour radius will likely diminish (unless they are consistently coming to see you. The Lowell-Biddeford trip is ~1.5 hours. With the demands of med school this proximity isn't a clear cut "plus" for one school over the other. That said, something that hasn't been mentioned is the "dispersion" of core sites for third year. In looking at KC's website (http://www.kcumb.edu/occe/affiliated_sites.asp?offset=0) they seem to spread pretty far and wide. UNECOM's tend to be in the NE, down to Jersey. Spread out over the four, average distances from home may more clearly point in UNECOM's favor. But do remember that you will make friends where you are. Given the size of KC, as you alluded to below, may allow greater contact with a local Vietnamese community (all I can find on Portland is 3.5 Asian en toto, no breakdown further than that). Portland population is ~66K, Lowell ~106K, and KC ~450K. If you're into a "big city" feel, KC's going to win. Portland is a really nice place, though. A good bit less "run down" than Lowell. I hear good things about KC as well.

Cost:
Looking at KCUMB's financial aid folder: First year: Cost of Attendance = $65.5K (Tuition = 42 K, Total educational expenses = 45.5K, Total living expenses = 20K)
My estimates based on UNECOM website: First Year: Cost = ~69.5K (Tuition = 48.8K, Total educational expense = 51.5K, Total living expenses = 18K)
Let me know if I dont have the right figures or if I've miscalculated something. (I was hoping UNECOM would be cheaper 🙁 ...). Cost is a huge factor for me. And I think KCUMB gets this point.

This should be a strong consideration. They are both expensive. You don't "buy" anything special for any extra money spent on UNECOM other than the privilege of going there. Both schools are of adequate quality and I think both have reputations about on par with each other (maybe a nudge for KC, completely subjectively)

Medical Education:
I'm looking to go into Primary care/Pediatrics. UNECOM is rated 38 ish (?) on US News and World Report for primary care (I think) and as top 5 in turning out the most Primary care physicians among the naion. UNECOM gets the point (?). KCUMB is un-ranked.

These rankings are irrelevant for many reasons. For both schools, primary care is going to be dominated by FM, which won't help with anything if you do maintain an interest in peds (remember how often people change their minds in med school about what they want to do). Again, presuming a continued interest in peds, both school will have a high likelihood of putting you into core rotations in which you are exposed to little-to-no inpatient pediatrics (a weakness of many DO schools for aspiring pediatricians). I do know that UNECOM has at least one core site which has inpatient peds for cores (Newark IIRC. Dunno if any other good sites have been added). When I was at UNE peds teaching in the first two years sucked. Dominated by two power-point warriors one of whom is the interim head of the "dept." of peds (nice enough guy, just a lousy teacher). There are two newer asst. profs of peds one of whom was a resident at MMC when I rotated there as an MS4 and the other of whom was a classmate of mine at UNE. They might be much better teachers. Both schools are in proximity to hospitals at which you can do rotations fourth year that have good peds residencies (MMC and Mercy, KC).

Ethnicity/Diversity:
I've been accustomed to living/learning in an ethnically diverse community/setting. I'd like to have a local Vietnamese community to stay in touch with my heritage, however I'm open to new experiences. KCUMB's Kansas City (~0.7 % vietnamese population) seems to get this one; no data on Portland.

Yeah, I'm thinking KC on this one.

Extra-curricular/other concerns:
KCUMB has a large class size (I think).
From what I know, UNECOM also has the undergrads on campus along side the med students. I'm thinking that this mix might create an interesting/lively environment (questionable).
UNECOM has a beach coast campus and new buildings coming up (exciting).

The presence of the undergrads never made much of a difference one way or the other in my or anyone else's education. Neither a plus or a minus. They're pretty separate from the med students. Just make the gym more crowded at certain times.

That's all I've got. I have yet to really look thoroughly into the schools' facilities and quality of education. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Right now, it looks to be a tough decision. Please, feel free to post your thoughts! Let me know if I've over looked something.

Forgot to mention that I received KCUMB's Presidential Scholarship:

Amount: $10,000
Applied toward: Tuition costs
Non-Renewable: No (first-year only)

Might play a factor~

Yes, money should play a factor.

imo, distance is a huge turn off
also, i just looked at the female-male ratio ... UNECOM>KCUMB

Umm...not sure I would put much stock in this as a decision point.

Money aside, is KCUMB much better than UNECOM in terms of its quality of education? UNE's 1st time comlex scores are 94.5%; I can't find KCUMB's numbers... I know passing the comlex is primarily an individual thing, but the quality of education certainly has a part to play.

No. Both adequate-quality DO schools.

On a different note, looking at KCUMB's 2010 residency matches, I noticed that there were no MA residency listings; wereas UNECOM's matching had several MA matches. Will attending UNECOM increase my chances of getting into a New England residency? (I guess you can say I am attached to staying close to home)

Probably mostly a bias of where people are from and where they rotated as medical students. You are more likely to rotate at New England hospitals from UNECOM, so you are more likely to match there. It isn't the quality of the school that is making that the case. If you went to KC and made an effort to rotate back nearer home, then you would likely be able to match. Obviously the logistics of rotating in NE are different from KC.

I am from RI and am attending KCUMB.... I visited UNECOM before applying to schools and Biddeford, ME just wasn't doing it for me. I also liked the campus better at KCUMB (not sharing it with undergrads). As far as education, I believe you will be as successful as you set yourself up to be at either school. However, with cheaper cost of attendance + presidential scholarship at KCUMB (+ the 2k you would forfeit) I think KCUMB would be the right choice.

Like I said, the undergrads' presence was a non-issue. But if the KC campus appeals more, then certainly take that into consideration. Another consideration is whether the student body feels as though they have a supportive administration. UNECOM has struggled with that the last few years as discussed in other threads. Like I said, you don't buy anything extra for your money at UNE, though it's a school I liked and was happy to graduate from. Some feel as though tuition money goes to nebulous places within the UNE school as a whole (and to build new schools such as the pharmacy and dental school) with too little coming back to the med school. The only solution presented for controlling increasing tuition is for alumni to donate more (believe me, I get the solicitations). As KC isn't that much less expensive, I wonder how they address that issue as well. To me OP's issue comes down to degree of cost savings vs. long term ease of ending up near home in the end. No clear answer, but questions to think about.

 

[J-Rad]

BTW, does anyone know how much time each school currently give its students for studying for step I? In my day I think we got ~3 weeks without classes to study and some school led review sessions prior to that. Generously considered un-generous compared to some schools that gave far more time and offered formal board review courses.

 

[zamitide]

Hey, I appreciate your detailed input very much! 🙂

BTW, does anyone know how much time each school currently give its students for studying for step I? In my day I think we got ~3 weeks without classes to study and some school led review sessions prior to that. Generously considered un-generous compared to some schools that gave far more time and offered formal board review courses.

Hmm, good question; I would like to know this as well.

 

[wook]

Yes, money should play a factor.


Like I said, the undergrads' presence was a non-issue. But if the KC campus appeals more, then certainly take that into consideration. Another consideration is whether the student body feels as though they have a supportive administration. UNECOM has struggled with that the last few years as discussed in other threads. Like I said, you don't buy anything extra for your money at UNE, though it's a school I liked and was happy to graduate from. Some feel as though tuition money goes to nebulous places within the UNE school as a whole (and to build new schools such as the pharmacy and dental school) with too little coming back to the med school. The only solution presented for controlling increasing tuition is for alumni to donate more (believe me, I get the solicitations). As KC isn't that much less expensive, I wonder how they address that issue as well. To me OP's issue comes down to degree of cost savings vs. long term ease of ending up near home in the end. No clear answer, but questions to think about.

Agreed.

I would go where it is cheaper, however, geographical convenience should also play a major consideration.


Thanks.


Wook

 

[LSU Alex]

BTW, does anyone know how much time each school currently give its students for studying for step I? In my day I think we got ~3 weeks without classes to study and some school led review sessions prior to that. Generously considered un-generous compared to some schools that gave far more time and offered formal board review courses.

For Step 1 study at KCUMB, we were done with classes at the end of April. Our finals were knocked out the 1st or 2nd week of May. Except for one or two 2-hr meetings during the summer, we pretty much had the whole summer for Step 1. Our clinicals didn't start til August 1st. I don't know if that has changed any... this was just 2 years ago. The school didn't pay for review courses. You had to fit Kaplan or whatever into your schedule.

As far as Peds go, my core rotation in peds was 50% in-pt and 50% out-pt. I can't guess as to how many we're like that, but I don't know of many KCUMB students whose core sites were outside of KC that didn't have a similar setup.

As far as tuition and where your money goes... well, you can do an internet search to see where some of our tuition has been going and who has been watching the cookie jar.

 

[zamitide]

I chose KCUMB.

 

[zamitide]

To all: Thanks for all the helpful input!

 

[dntke1518]

I chose KCUMB.

Good choice

 

[CheckMate2013]

So is general consensus KCUMB over UNECOM? I've managed to narrow my own decision down to these two schools and am curious as to whether or not SDN as a whole prefers the midwest KCUMB or the northeast UNECOM.

For me personally, UNECOM is closer to home, but it also happens to be about $25k more expensive than KCUMB. After factoring in an average 6.8% interest rate, this becomes closer to $33k and over a 10 year repayment schedule (plus the 4 years in school), looks more like $64k. Is the education comparable between the schools? I would prefer to stay in the northeast, but a quality education is paramount for me and I haven't heard anything bad about years 1+2 in KCUMB.

 

[CheckMate2013]

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[wook]

Check...it will be challenging for anyone to provide a side by side comparison, as people have attended one school or the other. I thought the education at UNECOM was great. It provided me the background/training/experience to get me into the specialty and sub-specialty that I wanted. I'm assuming that if I had gone to KCUMB, I would have received a good education as well. I would suggest going where it makes the most sense geographically (e.g proximity to family, etc), and economically. When you do the economics, map out the costs of moving as well.


Thanks.



Wook

 

[CheckMate2013]

Check...it will be challenging for anyone to provide a side by side comparison, as people have attended one school or the other. I thought the education at UNECOM was great. It provided me the background/training/experience to get me into the specialty and sub-specialty that I wanted. I'm assuming that if I had gone to KCUMB, I would have received a good education as well. I would suggest going where it makes the most sense geographically (e.g proximity to family, etc), and economically. When you do the economics, map out the costs of moving as well.

Thanks.

Wook

I kind of figured as much. UNECOM makes sense geographically, but not really financially. KCUMB makes sense financially, but not so much geographically. And although KCUMB blew me away during my interview day, I have so many family and friends in the north east that it makes more sense to go to UNECOM. I appreciate your input Wook and look forward to attending your alma mater!

What did you specialize in if you don't mind my asking?