KYCOM vs WCU COM

[ilovesloths]

Hi guys, I’ve been accepted at KYCOM and WCU COM and only have a couple days to make a decision. I’m hoping to hear from students at either place who can be honest about the pros and cons based on their experience (especially recently since most threads I’ve read about these schools are pretty old)

KYCOM pros:
- super welcoming interview vibe + school atmosphere. I felt like they cared about me
- seems to be diverse even though it’s in the middle of nowhere?
- healthcare hidden gem apparently
- built in research opportunities
- 100% match rate
- more established

KYCOM cons:
- middle of nowhere. I don’t particularly mind a tiny town as I’ve lived in one before but I’m from Texas so that 2.5 hour drive to an airport is what freaks me out. I would want to be able to fly home sometimes without a road trip. But I’m willing to swallow this if theres a significant difference in the quality of the school
- I think there is still less diversity than WCU COM
- mandatory class and letter grading system

WCU COM pros
- 98% match rate
- 10+ years of matches so established as well
- attendance is optional and pass/fail (could change now that Covid is over)
- more variety of location for rotations
- 1 hour flight home for me
- reasonable sized city with diversity

WCU CONS
- super dry interview, dry emails, no info about the school really provided to me besides a PowerPoint probably made 10 years ago. The acceptance email didn’t even have an exclamation mark while KYCOM called me. I know this stuff is not that important but it’s just the overall negative vibe I’ve got so far and it's my only real impression since interviews are over Zoom.
- basically no research opportunities
- it’s hard to learn anything from their website

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[chemgirl97]

Not a current student but I'm in the same boat as you, so I'll just share some additional info I've found. For WCUCOM there are a few classes that have mandatory attendance. You may want to also consider class sizes, dress codes, how rotations are assigned, board pass rates, and how the curriculum is set up as well.

 

[ilovesloths]

What school are you leaning towards and why?

That’s a good point about WCU COM, and the interviewers did mention that the pass/fail / attendance rules were very subject to change anyways.

Both schools are business casual dress code which is a con for me, and the class size is similar though KYCOM is a tad smaller. I’m going to research more about the curriculum and board pass rates, but I believe both seemed really good and rates were very comparable. But WCU COM didn’t post their match lists which I thought was a little weird.

 

[chilly_md]

Go to WCU. Reasonable access to home and P/F and non-mandatory attendance are great. I don’t think they’ll change the P/F and however many classes you can get out of attending is a plus.

Current students have shared that they hired faculty for research in a variety of areas and they are affiliated with a national diabetes and obesity research institute.

 

[chemgirl97]

What school are you leaning towards and why?

That’s a good point about WCU COM, and the interviewers did mention that the pass/fail / attendance rules were very subject to change anyways.

Both schools are business casual dress code which is a con for me, and the class size is similar though KYCOM is a tad smaller. I’m going to research more about the curriculum and board pass rates, but I believe both seemed really good and rates were very comparable. But WCU COM didn’t post their match lists which I thought was a little weird.

With Carey you can wear your class's designated color of scrubs instead of business clothes, while at KYCOM scrubs are for lab days only. Honestly I'm pretty stuck in the middle on this one until I physically visit each campus, and I'm praying on my WL at another school to turn into an A. I think that research at both schools is a bit up and coming, but I know that at KYCOM faculty are on teaching contracts vs research contracts. As far as COMLEX Level 1 pass rates over the last 4 years, WCU: 93.08% vs KY: 87.4% vs Nat'l 94.4%. Level 2 CE pass rates (4 yr avg) are WCU: 92.75% vs KY: 92.43% vs Nat'l 95.43%.

 

[FutureDoctor5000]

Go with WCUCOM... research is growing..
I think it's cheaper than KYCOM too. Better overall pass rates. Simmilar quality in matches . Significantly better location IMO.. close to Nola and beaches. I am sorry it's been so dry for you.. the dean called me to tell me I got in when I was accepted to WCUCOM 4 years ago..