lecom EAP vs traditional

[the Mannis]

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Hey everyone i am writing this post to get insight, advice and opinions from the people of SDN. I recently applied to LECOM's early assurance program that is affiliated with my undergrad university. I got accepted to interview this upcoming spring in february. I am a sophomore with 3.93 GPA and 3.85 science GPA. SAT score of 1220 and 92 high school GPA. worked in ER for hospital last summer, 250 plus hours, 50 hours of shadowing, 60 hours of volunteering (still doing that). math tutor for local high school, in a few clubs.
my friend just got accepted after her interview, and she has lower college GPA than me (3.6-3.7 ish) as well as lower SAT. I have more clinical experience and extracurriculars than her, so I'm pretty certain I will be accepted as long as I don't bomb the interview.
If i do get accepted, should i do it and not apply regularly? in my eyes, pros of LECOM EAP

• wont have to take MCAT, save 2-3 months of my life not having to prepare for that (not scared or against taking MCAT, just would be nice to not have to)
• LECOM is really cheap
• wouldn't have to take a gap year between undergrad and med school

I like not having to take a gap year because a gap year means one less year of a physicians salary. I just dont want to limit what kind of residency i could get into by going to LECOM. I don't care about the letters next to my name, I just want to be able to have the opportunity to specialize and not HAVE TO be a primary care doc if i dont want to be when the time comes.
One thing i could do is if i get accepted, still take the MCAT summer going into senior year, see my results, and if i did good enough then apply to MD schools spring of senior year as well as apply to some DO schools including LECOM. I would have to drop out of the EAP if i applied to other schools traditionally. Thoughts?? I am very conflicted.

 

[MADD!!!]

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[adrian710]

Take MCAT. Crush it. Go to a quality MD school and have much better chance at being the specialist you want to be.

Why are you settling for a mid-tier DO school when you could get into a great MD one?

Nothing against LECOM at all but you owe it to yourself to push yourself to the limit, not settle for the easy route...

 

[j4pac]

It depends on how you feel about LECOM. If you absolutely love it and feel that it will meet your career goals...then you take what is given to you. I was in a very similar situation about 10 years ago (except I didn't study for the MCAT 🙂). I really liked PBL, loved the Bradenton/Sarasota area, and wanted OMT to be apart of my practice. It met everything that I was looking for...so I took it instead of actually studying for the MCAT and getting into an MD school.

But if you aren't completely sold on LECOM...don't go. See how you do on MCAT. It is a bit of risk...but probably a smart decision.

 

[ortnakas]

I'm a current student at LECOM, and I like it, but I still don't know if I'd recommend the EAP. In the grand scheme of things, an extra year of undergrad isn't a big deal and nets you more options-- everything from MD to out-of-state-DO to realizing you'd rather be a PhD researcher or join the Peace Corps. LECOM might end up being the choice you want-- absolutely nothing wrong with that-- but I don't see why you'd want to limit your choices this early in the game.

 

[the Mannis]

I'm a current student at LECOM, and I like it, but I still don't know if I'd recommend the EAP. In the grand scheme of things, an extra year of undergrad isn't a big deal and nets you more options-- everything from MD to out-of-state-DO to realizing you'd rather be a PhD researcher or join the Peace Corps. LECOM might end up being the choice you want-- absolutely nothing wrong with that-- but I don't see why you'd want to limit your choices this early in the game.

What is the feel at LECOM in terms of being able to become a specialist? Is it reasonable to think I could get into anesthesia, rads, ortho, optho, etc residencies from LECOM? How much do they encourage primary care?

 

[ortnakas]

What is the feel at LECOM in terms of being able to become a specialist? Is it reasonable to think I could get into anesthesia, rads, ortho, optho, etc residencies from LECOM? How much do they encourage primary care?

What I just told OP in a PM:


The "feel" is fine, nobody will discourage you from it. Ortho and especially optho are a huge reach for DOs, but nobody is going to tell you you must pursue primary care.

 

[TallPreMed]

OP, you go to Duquesne? Hayyyy from a fellow yinzer (transplant)😉