LECOM Bradenton - Avoid at all costs?

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Bionista

Bionista

Full Member
7+ Year Member
I have heard mixed reviews and someone told me to avoid this school, however I'm not sure how strongly I value their opinion.

Anyone going there currently or went there who can give some advice? Would you choose it again if you had the chance?

Thanks guys!
 
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getfat said:
Better than being no doctah. If you have more than 1 acceptance around this time next year then make a post. I'm sure many SDNers will happily debate which school is a better choice.
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Definitely agree, but with uncertainty of rotations I'm wondering if it's possible to make it to that point and have no rotation spots for you to continue? I've heard of this happening at certain Caribbean schools and know of a student who withdrew at that point and never became a doctor. Is it possible that LECOM could come to this?
 
Bionista said:
Definitely agree, but with uncertainty of rotations I'm wondering if it's possible to make it to that point and have no rotation spots for you to continue? I've heard of this happening at certain Caribbean schools and know of a student who withdrew at that point and never became a doctor. Is it possible that LECOM could come to this?
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A LECOM student who was rotating at a hospital I was doing an elective at back when I was in medical school did say this was a concern. Particularly in the 4th year, where you're basically supposed to schedule everything on your own. Unless I've been lead astray or things have changed. EDIT: Actually I think they were from Pennsylvania come to think of it, not the one you're talking about
 
I heard in previous years they did have a problem, but they have since resolved the issue....and if you're at the top of your class you have priority when deciding your rotation location
 
Not at Bradenton, so I can't really speak for it. I've heard things from students there at a few rotations, and while their rotation system is far from perfect, it's not as dire as this thread makes it seem, either. I haven't heard of anyone being unable to progress or graduate at the end of the day.

HotandCold said:
A LECOM student who was rotating at a hospital I was doing an elective at back when I was in medical school did say this was a concern. Particularly in the 4th year, where you're basically supposed to schedule everything on your own. Unless I've been lead astray or things have changed. EDIT: Actually I think they were from Pennsylvania come to think of it, not the one you're talking about
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I don't think this was from Erie/Seton Hill. We do schedule some things on our own fourth year, but the majority of those are selectives and electives that you'd want to be able to schedule yourself.
 
Bionista said:
I originally planned on applying to LECOM Bradenton but I have been hearing so many negative things about them. Is it even worth applying? I don't want to go to a school that has uncertainty (I have been hearing they have lost rotation spots) and perhaps even has a bad name.

Anyone going there currently or went there who can give some advice? Would you choose it again if you had the chance?

Thanks guys!
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i applied there, got in, eventually chose another school 2-3 times the tuition. why? LECOM does the bare minimum. yes, in 4 years you will get your degree and graduate. however, I have heard from multiple LIVE sources, not online, that those 4 years are absolutely terrible. I went to their campus and spoke to 3 random students i found on their campus before i left. no one had anything good to say. I heard everything from students dont know what tuition goes to except an AC building, its DIY medicine, it was hell for 4 years, no support from staff and its seems they are against you, a constant "big brother watching" vibe, etc. I spoke with a friend of mine who graduated about 3 years go. He begged me to choose anywhere but there. I also visited the school, one for interview and to check out one of their sessions. Rubbed me the wrong way.

TLDR; if it's your only acceptance, go. if it isn't, consider other options.
 
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bahdahboom said:
i applied there, got in, eventually chose another school 2-3 times the tuition. why? LECOM does the bare minimum. yes, in 4 years you will get your degree and graduate. however, I have heard from multiple LIVE sources, not online, that those 4 years are absolutely terrible. I went to their campus and spoke to 3 random students i found on their campus before i left. no one had anything good to say. I heard everything from students dont know what tuition goes to except an AC building, its DIY medicine, it was hell for 4 years, no support from staff and its seems they are against you, a constant "big brother watching" vibe, etc. I spoke with a friend of mine who graduated about 3 years go. He begged me to choose anywhere but there. I also visited the school, one for interview and to check out one of their sessions. Rubbed me the wrong way.

TLDR; if it's your only acceptance, go. if it isn't, consider other options.
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Thank you! Very good to know. This is exactly the type of information I was looking for.
 
I had the same experience talking w Bradenton students. Spoke with 3 and they all (independently) said it was not a good program -- c/o poor clinical skills preparation, think they mentioned something about a sim lab at a nursing home?! Felt like you'd probably (all seriousness) get a better education at SGU.
 
Kkshake said:
I heard in previous years they did have a problem, but they have since resolved the issue....and if you're at the top of your class you have priority when deciding your rotation location
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This isn't true. They have tried this in the past but then all the good students ended up at one hospital and we lost contracts at the hospitals that did not have good students. (I'm a current LECOM student)
 
Bionista said:
I originally planned on applying to LECOM Bradenton but I have been hearing so many negative things about them. Is it even worth applying? I don't want to go to a school that has uncertainty (I have been hearing they have lost rotation spots) and perhaps even has a bad name.

Anyone going there currently or went there who can give some advice? Would you choose it again if you had the chance?

Thanks guys!
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I'm personally of the mindset man that it's better to do an SMP or MS than go to a program you feel uneasy about.
 
Bionista said:
I originally planned on applying to LECOM Bradenton but I have been hearing so many negative things about them. Is it even worth applying? I don't want to go to a school that has uncertainty (I have been hearing they have lost rotation spots) and perhaps even has a bad name. Anyone going there currently or went there who can give some advice? Would you choose it again if you had the chance?

Thanks guys!
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Don't bother applying anywhere where you don't feel comfortable going.
 
HotandCold said:
A LECOM student who was rotating at a hospital I was doing an elective at back when I was in medical school did say this was a concern. Particularly in the 4th year, where you're basically supposed to schedule everything on your own. Unless I've been lead astray or things have changed. EDIT: Actually I think they were from Pennsylvania come to think of it, not the one you're talking about
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Isn't this common at most DO schools? After they have your tuition, they are done with you. Sink or swim.
 
bahdahboom said:
i applied there, got in, eventually chose another school 2-3 times the tuition. why? LECOM does the bare minimum. yes, in 4 years you will get your degree and graduate. however, I have heard from multiple LIVE sources, not online, that those 4 years are absolutely terrible. I went to their campus and spoke to 3 random students i found on their campus before i left. no one had anything good to say. I heard everything from students dont know what tuition goes to except an AC building, its DIY medicine, it was hell for 4 years, no support from staff and its seems they are against you, a constant "big brother watching" vibe, etc. I spoke with a friend of mine who graduated about 3 years go. He begged me to choose anywhere but there. I also visited the school, one for interview and to check out one of their sessions. Rubbed me the wrong way.

TLDR; if it's your only acceptance, go. if it isn't, consider other options.
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After you have accepted, they know you are good for tuition. Medical school doesn't allow transferring and quitting effectively ends your medical career as a physician, therefore you are locked in and there is no motivation for the school to do anything well. After all, they know those seats will get filled by someone with access to personal funds or federal student loans.
 
lecombradentonOMS12345 said:
This isn't true. They have tried this in the past but then all the good students ended up at one hospital and we lost contracts at the hospitals that did not have good students. (I'm a current LECOM student)
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I'm a current LECOM student as well, and this is still what they're telling us....
 
Bionista said:
Thank you! Very good to know. This is exactly the type of information I was looking for.
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I interviewed at LECOM B and had a completely different experience. Everyone was passionate about PBL, were doing extremely well, and were doing rotations in the FL area (which is what most people want going to LECOM B). Many people who I spoke to at my interview agreed that the people who "rant" against LECOM B may not have the best intentions on an anonymous forum. Be aware of where you get your information from. At the end of the day, LECOM has great scores and a good distribution of residencies. (10 orthopods in last years class?! Awesome, for future hopeful orthopods like myself.)
 
meowmeowww said:
I interviewed at LECOM B and had a completely different experience. Everyone was passionate about PBL, were doing extremely well, and were doing rotations in the FL area (which is what most people want going to LECOM B). Many people who I spoke to at my interview agreed that the people who "rant" against LECOM B may not have the best intentions on an anonymous forum. Be aware of where you get your information from. At the end of the day, LECOM has great scores and a good distribution of residencies. (10 orthopods in last years class?! Awesome, for future hopeful orthopods like myself.)
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Not to continue your revival of a dead thread, but I interviewed at LECOM B back in August and would disagree with you, and agree with most of what has been said in this thread.

The students-- even the ambassadors who were leading the tour-- do not seem happy to be going to school here. At every school I interview at, I ask the students why they chose it. At LECOM B, every single student I asked said either "it was the only place I got in" or "the tuition is super cheap". I think one person said they chose it because they wanted to be close to home. Either way, these aren't the responses you want to hear from people about why they chose a medical school. When asking this same question at other schools, I got super long, enthusiastic responses about everything that was so wonderful about the school. Although LECOM B will turn you into a physician, and they do score well on the boards, I don't think it's worth being in a place where most of the students are unhappy. Also, Bradenton as a whole kind of sucks to live in.

TLDR: I wouldn't go to LECOM B unless it was my only acceptance.
 
12glaucoma34 said:
Isn't this common at most DO schools? After they have your tuition, they are done with you. Sink or swim.
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Sink or swim depends on you, but the admin is there to help you out. I don't get the feeling that my school is against me and a majority of the staff/teachers care about our progress and learning.
 
Childhood friend goes there currently, and doesnt seem very happy with it. Apparently the clinical sites arent too great (according to 3rd years), and has frustrations with some of the professors. Ive heard this from other people who went there too. But I would argue that if its your only acceptance, then go.
 
I agree with the above poster, if you wouldn't go to a school, don't bother applying to begin with, else you set yourself up for a strange decision if it's your only acceptance.
 
Kkshake said:
Bradenton does not suck to live in. And if you ask most medical students why they chose a school it usually comes down to cost and location. Lol. I attend LECOM, there is no reason it "should be avoided at all costs"
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Glad to hear you enjoy attending, but your opinion is on the rarer side!
 
fldoctorgirl said:
Glad to hear you enjoy attending, but your opinion is on the rarer side!
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Most of the complaints are outdated...they used to have a lot of problems, but they listened to students, and they've fixed them. Plus, a lot of people on here are going off "vibes" they got during the interview. Their opinion can't be taken seriously.
 
PA is an option for rotations, but you have a choice in where you rotate. A lot like to rotate in PA because many are from PA.
 
fldoctorgirl said:
Not to continue your revival of a dead thread, but I interviewed at LECOM B back in August and would disagree with you, and agree with most of what has been said in this thread.

The students-- even the ambassadors who were leading the tour-- do not seem happy to be going to school here. At every school I interview at, I ask the students why they chose it. At LECOM B, every single student I asked said either "it was the only place I got in" or "the tuition is super cheap". I think one person said they chose it because they wanted to be close to home. Either way, these aren't the responses you want to hear from people about why they chose a medical school. When asking this same question at other schools, I got super long, enthusiastic responses about everything that was so wonderful about the school. Although LECOM B will turn you into a physician, and they do score well on the boards, I don't think it's worth being in a place where most of the students are unhappy. Also, Bradenton as a whole kind of sucks to live in.

TLDR: I wouldn't go to LECOM B unless it was my only acceptance.
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I apologize, but I need to make this comment for those of you who are seriously interested in LECOM-B:

All of the student ambassadors I spoke with stated they chose to go there based off of PBL, location, and faculty's passion for education. I did not speak to one person who said they only went there because of "cost" or "it was their only acceptance". Sitting on 3 acceptances so far and having had 9 interviews (with pending acceptances) I would say that the "fit" may not be right for everyone, but it can be for the "right" people. In regards to the Bradenton area, having stayed at an AirBnb I was able to explore the town as a local and it's quaint compared to larger cities, but has lots of possibilities for water sports nearby. Again, all about the right fit.
 
I mean, I'm not sure what people really want out of a place to live. It's close to the beach, plenty of bars/clubs nearby, close to St. Petersburg, only 45 min from Busch gardens, near vineyards you can visit, farms if you're in to horseback riding....I'm actually generally curious as to what everyone thinks the area is missing?
 
Kkshake said:
I mean, I'm not sure what people really want out of a place to live. It's close to the beach, plenty of bars/clubs nearby, close to St. Petersburg, only 45 min from Busch gardens, near vineyards you can visit, farms if you're in to horseback riding....I'm actually generally curious as to what everyone thinks the area is missing?
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I'll second this. It sounds like paradise.
 
LECOM opened up in the late '90s by the Feretti family, a family very well known in the Osteopathic "world," even before LECOM. At the time, LECOM attracted great students and faculty because of their efficient model and their insistence that tuition should be as low as possible so as to not burden the student post-graduation and allow the student to enter the field he/she chooses without the fear of loan repayment. One of the ways LECOM was able to keep tuition low was the "volunteer preceptor" model where DO preceptors had to "give back" to their profession by being unpaid preceptors to DO students.
As the years moved on, more and more and more medical schools opened (especially in PA and FL). Hospitals and physicians realized that they could be paid 4-5x the amount LECOM was willing to put out. This led to students being shipped out all over the country as less and less physicians/hospitals accepted LECOM's offer. Example: LECOM sends students to San Diego, Wyoming, and Washington state for rotations. How can a school headquartered in PA manage dozens of students on the opposite side of the country? This has led to a giant loss of oversight where students don't do anything but study for shelf exams.
The current situation in Bradenton, according to my friends that go there, is that the school is planning on slowly increasing tuition and competing with local schools to begin to gain more control over clinical education.
 
meowmeowww said:
I apologize, but I need to make this comment for those of you who are seriously interested in LECOM-B:

All of the student ambassadors I spoke with stated they chose to go there based off of PBL, location, and faculty's passion for education. I did not speak to one person who said they only went there because of "cost" or "it was their only acceptance". Sitting on 3 acceptances so far and having had 9 interviews (with pending acceptances) I would say that the "fit" may not be right for everyone, but it can be for the "right" people. In regards to the Bradenton area, having stayed at an AirBnb I was able to explore the town as a local and it's quaint compared to larger cities, but has lots of possibilities for water sports nearby. Again, all about the right fit.
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Again, all I can share is the info that I received while I was there. Perhaps I was unlucky and my ambassadors just happened to both be dissatisfied.

At the end of the day, I agree with you. It is all about personal preference. LECOM will make you a doctor and they do have good board scores, so if someone feels comfortable there that's where they should go!
 
meowmeowww said:
I apologize, but I need to make this comment for those of you who are seriously interested in LECOM-B:

All of the student ambassadors I spoke with stated they chose to go there based off of PBL, location, and faculty's passion for education. I did not speak to one person who said they only went there because of "cost" or "it was their only acceptance". Sitting on 3 acceptances so far and having had 9 interviews (with pending acceptances) I would say that the "fit" may not be right for everyone, but it can be for the "right" people. In regards to the Bradenton area, having stayed at an AirBnb I was able to explore the town as a local and it's quaint compared to larger cities, but has lots of possibilities for water sports nearby. Again, all about the right fit.
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Hmm I will say, student ambassadors are not the most objective source. They are chosen to represent the school not necessarily their God-honest feelings.
 
meowmeowww said:
I apologize, but I need to make this comment for those of you who are seriously interested in LECOM-B:

All of the student ambassadors I spoke with stated they chose to go there based off of PBL, location, and faculty's passion for education. I did not speak to one person who said they only went there because of "cost" or "it was their only acceptance". Sitting on 3 acceptances so far and having had 9 interviews (with pending acceptances) I would say that the "fit" may not be right for everyone, but it can be for the "right" people. In regards to the Bradenton area, having stayed at an AirBnb I was able to explore the town as a local and it's quaint compared to larger cities, but has lots of possibilities for water sports nearby. Again, all about the right fit.
Click to expand...

As a current M1 (NOT of LECOM), let me just say this:

IF this is true and there is a general malaise among the student body, or apathy of staff and faculty, or high rate of dissatisfaction... it should be your last choice. Why? Medical school is hell, and you'd be strongly advised not to add to the Suck. It'd be like being in a house fire and saying, "Oh! I know what would make this better -- let's add more fire!". Insofar as I know--from speaking with people who recently interviewed there--LECOM-Bradenton also requires professional dress and doesn't allow food and drink in the lecture halls. I mean..... I don't think it takes a great deal of effort to come up with a myriad of ways in which this adds to the Suck. For me? Being able to wear scrubs every day, and crunch on pretzels and hummus during cardiophysiology, is absolutely clutch (the little things in life, you know?).

I talk all the time, with classmates, about our experience at my school. We have an INCREDIBLY cohesive class, supportive faculty, and an environment that is VERY dissuasive to gunnerism. Overall, yes we're frazzled. BUT, most of us are mentally and emotionally intact. Which is a monumentally important factor in success. So, when you're interviewing -- be it with LECOM or PCOM or (blank)COM -- really REALLY try to envision your experience there, overall. IF you have doubts, listen to them. If something doesn't seem right on interview day (which is like a first date -- they're putting their best face forward), heed that. This is the next 4 years of your life, and the foundation upon which you will begin to build your career.... it's okay to be critical of the institutions you visit.

Good luck!
 
lecombradentonOMS12345 said:
I'm a current LECOM Bradenton student. If you have questions, you can direct message me. I'm happy to answer any of them.
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I was recently accepted to Bradenton and VCOM-Auburn. Trying to decide. I don't have issues with the dress code or building. The students in PBL I sat in seemed engaged, and I was resisting speaking up to participate. VCOM has 8-5 lectures. How do you like it, and how was adapting to PBL out of undergraduate? I tend to learn best via conversation, are there study groups at all? How do you think it prepares you for rotations/residency?
 
Wow, I've seen a lot of "Why We Hate LECOM" threads but this one is going into a really dark place 😱

bahdahboom said:
i applied there, got in, eventually chose another school 2-3 times the tuition. why? LECOM does the bare minimum. yes, in 4 years you will get your degree and graduate. however, I have heard from multiple LIVE sources, not online, that those 4 years are absolutely terrible. I went to their campus and spoke to 3 random students i found on their campus before i left. no one had anything good to say. I heard everything from students dont know what tuition goes to except an AC building, its DIY medicine, it was hell for 4 years, no support from staff and its seems they are against you, a constant "big brother watching" vibe, etc. I spoke with a friend of mine who graduated about 3 years go. He begged me to choose anywhere but there. I also visited the school, one for interview and to check out one of their sessions. Rubbed me the wrong way.

TLDR; if it's your only acceptance, go. if it isn't, consider other options.
Click to expand...
 
DocBubbles said:
I was recently accepted to Bradenton and VCOM-Auburn. Trying to decide. I don't have issues with the dress code or building. The students in PBL I sat in seemed engaged, and I was resisting speaking up to participate. VCOM has 8-5 lectures. How do you like it, and how was adapting to PBL out of undergraduate? I tend to learn best via conversation, are there study groups at all? How do you think it prepares you for rotations/residency?
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I personally don’t think this one is even close: VCOM-Auburn wins every time.
 
DocBubbles said:
I was recently accepted to Bradenton and VCOM-Auburn. Trying to decide. I don't have issues with the dress code or building. The students in PBL I sat in seemed engaged, and I was resisting speaking up to participate. VCOM has 8-5 lectures. How do you like it, and how was adapting to PBL out of undergraduate? I tend to learn best via conversation, are there study groups at all? How do you think it prepares you for rotations/residency?
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I mean the hardest thing about adapting to PBL is you have to figure out what's important to study for yourself. You don't get the lectures and PowerPoints that highlight what the teachers are going to test you on. In a way, you have a lot of control over what you learn. If you learn best via conversation, PBL sounds like a great fit. Many do study groups with their friends but there is also time on the schedule blocked off specifically so that you can study with your PBL group during your review week. The goal of every medical school is to prepare you for rotations and boards, so whether you choose LECOM or the other school, you're not going to be at a disadvantage. Our school has many clubs that have had guest speakers, one for our EM club just came in, and he's a 4th year from LECOM that got a verbal offer before the official match day to match at John's Hopkins. To me that's like the dream. But aside from his story, the match statistics really do speak for themselves.
 
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