I will be attending KCOM in the fall, all I have to say is that I really fell in love w/ the program when I went there. Yes, Kirksville is rural, but there is an undergrad institution (Truman State) there in addition to KCOM, so I thought it had a "college town" feel, I think the population of Kirksville is about 16K when school is in and maybe around 9-10K when school is out. There is not much for shopping there, a wal-mart and J.C. Penny, and one other grocery store, there are others, but nothing major. I think there is a Honda dealer (which is good for me since I have a Honda

), a car is a must, as the KC and St. Louis are at least 2 1/2-3hrs away

, but Kirksville is a beautiful, peaceful place.
Kirksville is definitely one of the "big boy" DO schools, it is very well known in the osteo and allo medical community and it is nationally ranked for Rural Medicine. It was the first DO school, where osteopathic medicine was founded by Dr. Still. The physicians I work for in AZ said they have all had positive experiences w/ students from Kirksville. You spend the 1st 2 yrs in Kirksville then go through a "match" process to be assigned to an area for 3rd/4th yr rotations (some in MO, AZ, CO, ect (I can't think of them all)--but most students get their 1st or 2nd choice)
You study anatomy for a year and a half instead of just a semester or a whole year, and they are big on OMT, they gave us a demonstration during the tour on my interview, also let us in the anatomy lab and showed us a cadaver. They have patient simulators (although I think these are becoming pretty standard at many med schools). There is a hospital on campus (level III, I think, so nothing huge), which I thought was a major plus and they are VERY involved w/ the community (the DO students do sports physicals on students in the community every year). KCOM is a BIG DEAL in Kirksville-- they even do a spread in the newspaper w/ pics of all the incoming DO students!
I think my favorite thing about KCOM was the friendliness and helpfulness of all the faculty, staff and students, they want you to feel very welcome and do all they can to make you feel comfortable and happy (their student support system is amazing), they are like a big family there-- I got a christmas card from them after being accepted
Overall, if you're offered an interview, I think it's definitely worth going, to see for yourself if KCOM is the right place for you, to me, I am coming from a big city (Phx, AZ) and I know it will be a huge adjustment, but the way I see it I will be studying a lot and living in a more rural area will keep me focused on my studies and I like the idea of getting to know the patients in the tight-knit community, in addition to being a lifetime member of their "big, happy family" I liked that I felt like person, a special part of their program, and not just "another number" like I felt @ some other schools I interviewed at.
just my 2 cents, good luck w/ whatever you decide Ema!