LECOM (Elmira) vs WVSOM

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rainingonsunday95

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Hi Everyone!

Browing this forum has helped me immensely and I want to thank everyone for that. I now need your wisdom once more as I will soon be making a big decision in my life. I can see myself in Rads> Anesthesia> IM> Psych, but not surgery. Which school would you attend?

LECOM (Elmira, NY)
PROS:

  • cheaper tuition around 38K
  • higher board pass rate in other LECOM locations
  • great match list
  • better location compare to WVSOM (less rural and closer to home)
  • Newer facility
CONS:
  • new school (their first class started 2020)
  • strict rules (no water during lecture)
  • PBL (no actual lectures and you have to teach yourself, I am used to the traditional lecture settings, but not oppose to try PBL)
  • Heard 3rd-year rotation can be an issue
WVSOM (Lewisburg, WV)
PROS:

  • more establish state school since 1974
  • more welcoming environment from the faculty and students
  • no mandatory lectures, no strict rules
  • easy access to rotations since it's a state school
CONS:
  • tuition is high (~55K)
  • further from home and the school is very rural
  • COMLEX pass rate is below the national average
  • Match list is not as good as LECOM

what you guys think and which school would you attend.

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How can Elmira have good matches and higher board pass rates than other LECOM sites if it's inaugural class just started in 2020?

That being said, I would choose LECOM because $. I would warn you that Elmira is pretty rural as well though
 
How can Elmira have good matches and higher board pass rates than other LECOM sites if it's inaugural class just started in 2020?

That being said, I would choose LECOM because $. I would warn you that Elmira is pretty rural as well though
i think what they mean is that other LECOM locations have quite high board pass rates as well as matches at other locations. also, elmira has been a rotation site for other campuses for some years now, so it’s not brand spanking new (also some of the faculty have come from the main erie campus, so although there are absolutely growing pains for sure with the curriculum, it’s not completely foreign). but you’re absolutely right, the town is pretty rural and conservative so that’s something to keep in mind.
 
Your quality of life will be better at WVSOM. However LECOM is the biggest medical school in the US. You will have more connections, be better prepared and more opportunities most likely with the amount of locations/connections. I am a current LECOM student and the morale is very constantly low (can't speak for the elmira campus) but they do tend to be happier since they are PBL with very little mandatory attendance time vs the lecture based at the erie campus. LECOM has better board pass rates and PBL has proven to do well every year in boards (better than the other pathways a lot of the time) and great on rotations since they're used to knowing what tests to order, etc. because of their case-based learning style. There are a lot of growing pains though you should be aware of but the students will not crash and burn being connected with the other campuses. Tuition is awesome btw. I have several friends at WVSOM so I have heard their opinions.

Overall pros to LECOM: Great connections, large school, great match rates in competitive specialties (compared to other DO schools I feel at least), CHEAP tuition, lots of rotation site options (but I think you have to do yours in NY as an elmira student), access to research faculty

Cons to LECOM: Poor morale (can't 100% say for elmira but that's the other campus), annoying rules, outdated policies, new campus, (not even sure if they have research labs tbh), no cadaver labs because PBL (not that it super matters), no data on performance for boards because this class is the first year to take step 1/level 1, they do not encourage taking step 1 (which I think is bogus), lots of sites are rural

Pros to WVSOM: If in state tuition is dirt cheap, cadaver lab, non-mandatory lectures, have lecture format vs PBL for lecture based learners, happier students, much more established, small school with LOTS of great facilities, rotation selection procedure much better than LECOM's "match algorithm"

Cons: Not great board scores, I have verbally been told by students that while their quality of life is better they are much less prepared for boards, not as great match rate in comparison to general lecom campuses
 
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