LECOM-Erie Overview for those curious

[bleeker10]

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ill give a touch of credence to everything said in this thread but someone PLEASE tell me why people bitch about the dress policy so much?

Seeing the med and pharm girls in hot outfits/short skirts/ect made my day, every day haha. I can put up with a half-ass ironing job a few times a week for that.

You bring up two good points:

1) I didn't know people ironed their short sleeve polo shirts

2) A common trend on SDN is for people to complain about LECOM's rules, dress code, administration, food/drink policy, etc. They rarely talk about the board scores or rotations or how we do in the match. LDP had a some of the highest scores at LECOM including a 788. Also, at least we don't have issues such as a nurse being our preceptor like at another DO school (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=872852). We get good, if not, great clinical training. Some of the best training is at small hospitals where you get to see and do a lot. Subjectively, we do well in the match. I know I'm encouraged for the Army "match" since LECOM has matched students into Army ortho the past few years, which is just as competitive as civilian ortho (only 18 spots per year).

For the person who declined the acceptance to LECOM so he/she could reapply, congrats on getting accepted to another school and you are gutsy and brave. Glad to see it can work out because that doesn't always happen

All I know is I'm glad I don't have to go through the first two years and Level 1 again, regardless of which school I attended. That was a stressful two years and I wouldn't have been able to do as well if not for a great and close group of friends. Rotations are way better.

 

[preDoGuy24]

i have no reason to lie

Maybe, maybe not. I go to LECOM and don't see that as a possibility in the interview process unless the student "yelling" wants to have a run in with the administration about professional behavior.

So yeah still calling BS. Whether you "have a reason" to lie or not.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

A couple of points:

[1] 50% of all DO applicants apply to LECOM (erie, bradenton, seton hill).

[2] The school does care about students and in a way that is much more important than having "a nice place to study".
For example, they have kept their tuition virtually unchanged it goes up by 1-2% per year, and is now at an affordable 30k/yr (where as schools like u of pittsburgh raised their med school tuition by 12% last year http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11190/1159331-298.stm).

They built a beautiful fitness facility with great gym, 3 pools, workout area. They opened a cafe for students.
They provide $5k scholarships to students that do well year after year. They offer opportunity to go back home for rotations (wherever you are from).

[3] There is a negative environment while in LDP, and its mainly because of excessive classroom time. Everyone gets through it, but those with a smaller support network make a much harder transition.


[4] Lastly, they give an opportunity for students to become physicians who otherwise would have not been accepted to MD schools. So be greatfull of this and work hard because medical school is just a stepping stone to a great career.

You bring up two good points:

1) I didn't know people ironed their short sleeve polo shirts

2) A common trend on SDN is for people to complain about LECOM's rules, dress code, administration, food/drink policy, etc. They rarely talk about the board scores or rotations or how we do in the match. LDP had a some of the highest scores at LECOM including a 788. Also, at least we don't have issues such as a nurse being our preceptor like at another DO school (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=872852). We get good, if not, great clinical training. Some of the best training is at small hospitals where you get to see and do a lot. Subjectively, we do well in the match. I know I'm encouraged for the Army "match" since LECOM has matched students into Army ortho the past few years, which is just as competitive as civilian ortho (only 18 spots per year).

For the person who declined the acceptance to LECOM so he/she could reapply, congrats on getting accepted to another school and you are gutsy and brave. Glad to see it can work out because that doesn't always happen

All I know is I'm glad I don't have to go through the first two years and Level 1 again, regardless of which school I attended. That was a stressful two years and I wouldn't have been able to do as well if not for a great and close group of friends. Rotations are way better.

Thank you for this. I (so far at least) have my only acceptance at LECOM-Erie, and while it's not my top choice, and I have said this before, I WILL GO because I will not risk having to declare that I was accepted and reapplied. Despite the fact that I will be moving 1500 miles away from my husband, I am doing it for our future, and one of the reasons I'm not so upset is because of the cost, the ability to go back to CO to do at least SOME of my rotations, and the fact that it is well respected in the field. My mentor was happy for me that I was accepted he has colleagues from LECOM and he feels they are well trained and intelligent. As such, I'm not stupid enough to turn that down! I can do anything for four years, I put up with a horrible (and I do mean horrible) boss for longer than that, and a crappy job for longer still... I can do this 😉

Seriously, thank you I need to hear some good things!!

 

[illegallysmooth]

👍👍👍

Even though we deal with the rules, dress code, admin, food/drink policy, etc, I thank Science every day that I chose LECOM-B (with PBL) over other, more "desirable" DO programs. PBL has made a huge difference in my academic performance and I'm in the best financial situation that was possible.

You bring up two good points:

1) I didn't know people ironed their short sleeve polo shirts

2) A common trend on SDN is for people to complain about LECOM's rules, dress code, administration, food/drink policy, etc. They rarely talk about the board scores or rotations or how we do in the match. LDP had a some of the highest scores at LECOM including a 788. Also, at least we don't have issues such as a nurse being our preceptor like at another DO school (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=872852). We get good, if not, great clinical training. Some of the best training is at small hospitals where you get to see and do a lot. Subjectively, we do well in the match. I know I'm encouraged for the Army "match" since LECOM has matched students into Army ortho the past few years, which is just as competitive as civilian ortho (only 18 spots per year).

For the person who declined the acceptance to LECOM so he/she could reapply, congrats on getting accepted to another school and you are gutsy and brave. Glad to see it can work out because that doesn't always happen

All I know is I'm glad I don't have to go through the first two years and Level 1 again, regardless of which school I attended. That was a stressful two years and I wouldn't have been able to do as well if not for a great and close group of friends. Rotations are way better.

 

[deleted245139]

You bring up two good points:

1) I didn't know people ironed their short sleeve polo shirts

Trendsetting/Winning. 👍

 

[RIdoc11]

Maybe, maybe not. I go to LECOM and don't see that as a possibility in the interview process unless the student "yelling" wants to have a run in with the administration about professional behavior.

So yeah still calling BS. Whether you "have a reason" to lie or not.

well i'm obviously not going to be able to provide you with evidence, but I heard what I heard and so did about 5 or 6 people that were in my group...

It wasn't as if the students were on an intercom system... we were walking campus and things were said.

But if it helps you sleep better tonight, call it BS...

 

[bleeker10]

Trendsetting/Winning. 👍

Haha at least you didn't try to wear Jordans with the the short sleeve polo.

 

[bleeker10]

I can do anything for four years, I put up with a horrible (and I do mean horrible) boss for longer than that, and a crappy job for longer still... I can do this 😉

Seriously, thank you I need to hear some good things!!

This is the mentality you will need in med school and maybe in residency. Know there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if the light may be from an oncoming train haha. You really only need to make it through the first two years because once you are in rotations, life is sweet and you don't ever have to be at LECOM except for shelfs.

 

[Nymphicus]

This is the mentality you will need in med school and maybe in residency. Know there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if the light may be from an oncoming train haha. You really only need to make it through the first two years because once you are in rotations, life is sweet and you don't ever have to be at LECOM except for shelfs.

Medical seems difficult enough without having to deal with unsupportive administration. I have to say, a lot of the osteopathic schools that are part of health science "conglomerates" (Western, LECOM, Midwestern,Touro, Midwestern) seemed to be popping up rather rapidly with multiply campuses and branches, and seem to be run sort of like businesses.

I did spend a day at Touro-CA and I did think they were very nice there though.

 

[SurfinginPA]

It is all preference and what you are use to or looking for. Coming from a huge university for undergrad and feeling semi-trusted and independent when I worked in labs and what not and then coming to LECOM and not only dealing with the awful LDP schedule and poor lecturers but then feeling like "big brother" is watching you all the time and security is going to cane you for forgetting your ID badge and just a lot of other things that would make you say "are we really in med school" - they want you to feel professional with the whole dress code and all that but then they treat us like children in my mind with some of their actions/rules/guidelines/behavior/etc etc

 

[DocSpaceman]

I totally agree with the OP 100%, and I honestly wish I heard the truth like this before I went to this school. Granted Erie is close to home, (the only reason why i chose it) but given the chance again I wish I could be a normal medical student instead of dealing with all the BS. For example, the other day we literally had 4 hours of lecture, and then had to come back to school after lunch an hour later for an hour just to hear the administration lecture us about HOW TO DRIVE IN THE SNOW, how "not to touch little boys" in light of the recent Penn State events, and how to "suppress rumors going around" by "going to the source of the rumor." Thank you LECOM for treating me like a child and teaching me wonderful life lessons that I might have learned in 2nd grade.

Please ask yourself: What professional medical school treats their students like this?

I know that the administration probably views these forums all the time because they care so much about what people say about them. You would think that the administration would read some of the complaints and do something about some of the educational flaws in their "perfect" system. For example they could do something about their whole god awful physiology department. That way they wouldn't have to worry so much about their reputation.

I don't mind dressing up and some of the rules they have (ID badge etc.), but some of the education with the exception of anatomy is just god awful, and the LDP pathway schedule is horrible beyond belief.

If you want to listen to people who go here and refute every bitter comment that is made, see for yourself what it is like and decide for yourself. But I am betting there is a high chance that the people refuting these comments are in ISP or PBL. Based on the OP, in which he/she states very true facts, would you even consider this school over another one?

Unless it is your only option, go for it. But if it is not, run. Far Far away.

 

[preDoGuy24]

well i'm obviously not going to be able to provide you with evidence, but I heard what I heard and so did about 5 or 6 people that were in my group...

It wasn't as if the students were on an intercom system... we were walking campus and things were said.

But if it helps you sleep better tonight, call it BS...

Doesn't have to do with me sleeping better at night, just with the fact this crap gets said on sdn all the time "students trashed the school during my interview", when I've never seen in it during any of my interviews, nor heard of it from other students talking about theirs (and I know more med students than you AND go to LECOM) Maybe it happened, but whoever did it is an idiot...key to success at LECOM is keeping your head down and not bringing attention to yourself.
Oh and I'm PBL--FTW!

 

[bleeker10]

If you want to listen to people who go here and refute every bitter comment that is made, see for yourself what it is like and decide for yourself. But I am betting there is a high chance that the people refuting these comments are in ISP or PBL. Based on the OP, in which he/she states very true facts, would you even consider this school over another one?

Unless it is your only option, go for it. But if it is not, run. Far Far away.

Wrong. Me and Chohan are both LDP.

You're not gonna get any sympathy from me about your LDP schedule. The schedule for my class was worse than for the 2nd years now. We went through it and survived. You will too.

After everything that happened at PSU, you think LECOM is the only school that had a talk about child abuse? I think it's a smart idea to just talk about it and to let people know who to contact and what to do in situations like that. I don't want to make this a discussion about PSU though.

It sucks when they make you come back after lunch to have a talk with admin, but remember that those talks aren't targeted to JUST YOU. There are many students from CA, TX, FL, etc that have never been in snow and don't know how to drive/handle the snow. You will get a lot of "wonderful life lessons" by LECOM but they are doing it because not everyone is as cultured as you. There are ~270 students in each class and it would take a lot of effort and time to tailor talks to each student.

As far as rumors, you would be very surprised how quickly and easily they travel around school. There are some crazy ones going around that just seem unbelievable. If you think about the telephone game and how out of control that can get, imagine it with 500-1000 people instead of a dozen.

 

[RIdoc11]

Doesn't have to do with me sleeping better at night, just with the fact this crap gets said on sdn all the time "students trashed the school during my interview", when I've never seen in it during any of my interviews, nor heard of it from other students talking about theirs (and I know more med students than you AND go to LECOM) Maybe it happened, but whoever did it is an idiot...key to success at LECOM is keeping your head down and not bringing attention to yourself.
Oh and I'm PBL--FTW!

FTW? nobody is winning...

i just figured i'd bring up MY experience but was instead met with your overwhelming denial of the situation that you were not present for.

But anyway, best of luck to you!

 

[preDoGuy24]

FTW? nobody is winning...

i just figured i'd bring up MY experience but was instead met with your overwhelming denial of the situation that you were not present for.

But anyway, best of luck to you!

Dont be dramatic, there is nothing "Overwhelming" about being called out, I doubt it happened like you said, you say it did. Nuff said.

Oh and compared to LDP, PBL is WINNNING!!

Tiger blood baby!


Good luck in med school next year

 

[Dharma]

Thank you for this. I (so far at least) have my only acceptance at LECOM-Erie, and while it's not my top choice, and I have said this before, I WILL GO because I will not risk having to declare that I was accepted and reapplied. Despite the fact that I will be moving 1500 miles away from my husband, I am doing it for our future, and one of the reasons I'm not so upset is because of the cost, the ability to go back to CO to do at least SOME of my rotations, and the fact that it is well respected in the field. My mentor was happy for me that I was accepted he has colleagues from LECOM and he feels they are well trained and intelligent. As such, I'm not stupid enough to turn that down! I can do anything for four years, I put up with a horrible (and I do mean horrible) boss for longer than that, and a crappy job for longer still... I can do this 😉

Seriously, thank you I need to hear some good things!!

👍

 

[pianoman511]

I totally agree with the OP 100%, and I honestly wish I heard the truth like this before I went to this school. Granted Erie is close to home, (the only reason why i chose it) but given the chance again I wish I could be a normal medical student instead of dealing with all the BS. For example, the other day we literally had 4 hours of lecture, and then had to come back to school after lunch an hour later for an hour just to hear the administration lecture us about HOW TO DRIVE IN THE SNOW, how "not to touch little boys" in light of the recent Penn State events, and how to "suppress rumors going around" by "going to the source of the rumor." Thank you LECOM for treating me like a child and teaching me wonderful life lessons that I might have learned in 2nd grade.

That is nothing new and there will more than likely be more lectures about other non-med school topics. That being said, as bleeker noted below, many people have not driven in the snow before and really do need an education about it (especially since snow is not an excuse to miss class 🙄 ). That....and what's a "normal" medical student ? 😎

Please ask yourself: What professional medical school treats their students like this?

I know that the administration probably views these forums all the time because they care so much about what people say about them. You would think that the administration would read some of the complaints and do something about some of the educational flaws in their "perfect" system. For example they could do something about their whole god awful physiology department. That way they wouldn't have to worry so much about their reputation.

Well, first of all I think it has a lot to do with "tenure". Secondly, there have been improvements in some of the other departments since I started and physiology professors have come and gone for various reasons and some have been better than others. There are other subjects which can use improvement as well. As I said before, you will have to realize that its just material that you have to learn yourself. Yes, it stinks, but I would venture that every school has departments or professors that could use improvement.

I don't mind dressing up and some of the rules they have (ID badge etc.), but some of the education with the exception of anatomy is just god awful, and the LDP pathway schedule is horrible beyond belief.

I felt the same way during core (biochem, physio, pharm, etc) because you get a ton of material all at once that is hard to relate to clinical practice so it seems like undergrad again. Once you get through it to systems then you will see it all again but you can relate it to more clinical material and hopefully you can remember some of it from core.

Yes the schedule is bad, but there are ways to use the time to your advantage. Regardless of what the lecture was I had no problem sitting in my assigned seat and reviewing another subject or teaching myself the lecture that was going on in the background and completely tuning out the professor. Yes, I would rather be doing that in the library/coffee shop/home/sleeping but with the attendance policy it makes it tough. That being said, there were days when I just happened to be ill and had to call in and learn material on my own...sometimes days at a time 🙄 .

If you want to listen to people who go here and refute every bitter comment that is made, see for yourself what it is like and decide for yourself. But I am betting there is a high chance that the people refuting these comments are in ISP or PBL. Based on the OP, in which he/she states very true facts, would you even consider this school over another one?

Unless it is your only option, go for it. But if it is not, run. Far Far away.

Nope...LDP all the way ! I slogged through it and now am a fourth year. Looking back it could have been a lot worse but its over. Organic chem was a required evil and it took two semesters. I hated it but I never have to think about it ever again (like the first two years of med school).

Some of the things that LECOM administration does makes it more of an easy target and tends to get you more disgruntled during your preclinical years, I know I was. That just leads to more negativity on SDN and in real life. I don't know specifically what happens at other schools but I know that I hear people bitching about their schools when out on rotations but at that point it doesn't matter as much because you're out in clinicals and your focus is on getting a good residency.

Should comments like this color your choice of schools ? I can't comment on any other schools because I didn't go anywhere else but with that said any medical school will make you a doctor. Your education is in your hands no matter where you go and I think I ended up doing well on boards and residency interviews in spite of everything that I went through at LECOM. They accepted me and gave me a chance to succeed. It wasn't perfect but I don't think every incoming medical student's expectations are met regardless of the school. The best advice I can give is keep your eye on the prize. The four years go by pretty quick even though right now it seems like a snail's pace. Once you make your 3rd year schedule in fall of 2nd year you realize how fast everything has gone (and when you have to start studying for boards). Trust me, it gets better (or so I'm told)

 

[Mbeas]

Dont be dramatic, there is nothing "Overwhelming" about being called out, I doubt it happened like you said, you say it did. Nuff said.

Oh and compared to LDP, PBL is WINNNING!!

Tiger blood baby!


Good luck in med school next year

You're a medical student that doesn't use (or have access to; unless you're at bradenton: the best LECOM without a doubt) cadavers. How is that winning?

 

[preDoGuy24]

You're a medical student that doesn't use (or have access to; unless you're at bradenton: the best LECOM without a doubt) cadavers. How is that winning?[/QUOTE

You're right we don't use cadavers, you're wrong in that I am a medical student that has both used cadavers in anatomy and have also done anatomy without and can say, unlike you a premed, that haviing done anatomy both ways that they are not anything to get worked up about, I outscored 90% of the class and crushed the shelf. If you think a cadaver is going to make anatomy easier than God bless your soul you have a rude awakening coming next year.
Oh and my winning comment is a jab at my LDP colleagues, not at Premeds sorry for your apparent confusion.

 

[DocSpaceman]

Wrong. Me and Chohan are both LDP.

You're not gonna get any sympathy from me about your LDP schedule. The schedule for my class was worse than for the 2nd years now. We went through it and survived. You will too.

Yeah of course I will "survive" I am doing more than surviving right now. But comments like that don't help the situation. The mentality of "I went through it and no sympathy for you" blah blah blah when some simple changes could make things way easier doesn't solve anything.

You can't disagree that in the first two years of school it would have been better to have the option to go to class considering that the teachers read off their slides, wear whatever you wanted, sip water during the 7 hours of your day they make you sit so you do not get kidney stones ( personal experience), not have to worry about changing 4 times a day, not have to worry about a badge, the administration, security, fear, etc. etc like most medical schools.

Yes, LECOM is a means to an end. Yes I will go through it because I am already committed here; however, med school is already hard. Although it is a right of passage to get through it, no one can disagree that making some changes would make it a little less stressful and easier to learn what we are supposed to.

 

[Mbeas]

If you think a cadaver is going to make anatomy easier than God bless your soul you have a rude awakening coming next year.
Oh and my winning comment is a jab at my LDP colleagues, not at Premeds sorry for your apparent confusion.

Never said or even implied it was going to be any easier having a cadaver. Actually, I've heard quite the contrary.

I just think as a MEDICAL student (a.k.a. a student of human medicine), you should be required to use/have access to a cadaver, regardless of your alleged anatomy scores.

Don't be so sensitive....it's only an opinion.

 

[preDoGuy24]

Never said or even implied it was going to be any easier having a cadaver. Actually, I've heard quite the contrary.

I just think as a MEDICAL student (a.k.a. a student of human medicine), you should be required to use/have access to a cadaver, regardless of your alleged anatomy scores.

Don't be so sensitive....it's only an opinion.

Probably a bit more dickish than I should have been, but this is the interwebz. You can have your opinions on medical student anatomy (really necessary to define it as "human" medicine?) as a premed, all I will say is that the more time you can spend studying and not cutting skin, fat and fascia off a cadaver the better, if you disagree feel free to let me know next year when youre done with anatomy.
Not sensi, pbl is still winning.

 

[RIdoc11]

Probably a bit more dickish than I should have been, but this is the interwebz. You can have your opinions on medical student anatomy (really necessary to define it as "human" medicine?) as a premed, all I will say is that the more time you can spend studying and not cutting skin, fat and fascia off a cadaver the better, if you disagree feel free to let me know next year when youre done with anatomy.
Not sensi, pbl is still winning.

who is the one being dramatic now

 

[preDoGuy24]

who is the one being dramatic now

What did I say that was dramatic? Explaining my opinion on anatomy in med school?

 

[Dharma]

who is the one being dramatic now

As an innocent bystander, I have to say that it appears as if he was not being dramatic and just telling it like it is, from experience, as opposed to basing his position on speculation and opinion.

As far as his comment about anatomy lab goes, I have heard from many medical students that a good portion of lab time is spent cutting away skin and fat, and some have found this to be somewhat a waste of time (in a schedule in which they were already looking for extra minutes in their days).

The sentiment that a medical student MUST have cadaver time seems to be based more on a "right of passage" stance than one of practicality. Many schools are realizing this and are shifting to computer simulations as well as prosected cadavers. As an SMP student who is already feeling the crunch for time, once MS1 rolls around, I would want the most efficient method, i.e. one that will enable me to become proficient in anatomy in the least amount of time possible.

Disclaimer: I'm not sure which method that is, and I probably won't find out until I'm in the thick of it.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I think PBL is winning... I think PBL at Bradenton would be more winninging, but not because of cadavers (which smell really bad, and don't look at all like a normal body) but because its in Bradenton with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world!! The one downside to Bradenton is the creepy-fricken clowns everywhere in the halls!!! UGH!!! Talk about keeping your eyes to the floor! Anyway, baking soda beaches and warm weather!!! Way better than Erie... 😉 and dog friendly! Erie is SO not dog friendly!

So if I'm a girl, and from MN, can I skip out of the "how to drive in the snow and not touch little boys inappropriately" lecture?? I do understand there are people who have never driven in snow, I however have now driven in snow in MN and in the mountains in CO... PA has nothing on either place, no big deal... as for the rest, I only have the urge to touch adult men inappropriately not little boys... (please see that with all innuendo-humor possible)

Ok, lets get back to the conversation... PBL is winning... hands down!

 

[Dharma]

I however have now driven in snow in MN and in the mountains in CO... PA has nothing on either place, no big deal...!

I'm not so sure about that. Besides Duluth, Erie tops a lot of other cities many think are snowier...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2010/12/27/snowiest-cities.html

I hear that they plow well in Erie though.

 

[Dharma]

I only have the urge to touch adult men inappropriately

 

[Mbeas]

I think PBL is winning... I think PBL at Bradenton would be more winninging, but not because of cadavers (which smell really bad, and don't look at all like a normal body) but because its in Bradenton with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world!! The one downside to Bradenton is the creepy-fricken clowns everywhere in the halls!!! UGH!!! Talk about keeping your eyes to the floor! Anyway, baking soda beaches and warm weather!!! Way better than Erie... 😉 and dog friendly! Erie is SO not dog friendly!

Ok, lets get back to the conversation... PBL is winning... hands down!

Not to mention it is close to Tampa and St. Petersburg 🙂love: amazing city)...

 

[Mbeas]

Disclaimer: I'm not sure which method that is, and I probably won't find out until I'm in the thick of it.

👍

Same here. I was just offering my own (lowly pre-med), personal opinion. Obviously, there are people who disagree and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[bleeker10]

Wrong. Me and Chohan are both LDP.

You're not gonna get any sympathy from me about your LDP schedule. The schedule for my class was worse than for the 2nd years now. We went through it and survived. You will too.

Yeah of course I will "survive" I am doing more than surviving right now. But comments like that don't help the situation. The mentality of "I went through it and no sympathy for you" blah blah blah when some simple changes could make things way easier doesn't solve anything.

You can't disagree that in the first two years of school it would have been better to have the option to go to class considering that the teachers read off their slides, wear whatever you wanted, sip water during the 7 hours of your day they make you sit so you do not get kidney stones ( personal experience), not have to worry about changing 4 times a day, not have to worry about a badge, the administration, security, fear, etc. etc like most medical schools.

Yes, LECOM is a means to an end. Yes I will go through it because I am already committed here; however, med school is already hard. Although it is a right of passage to get through it, no one can disagree that making some changes would make it a little less stressful and easier to learn what we are supposed to.

You're right. My comment about not having sympathy was a bit dickish. Would it have been easier to be able to wear scrubs and not have mandatory attendance? Yep it would be easier. But anyone who has done their research on LECOM when applying, especially LDP, should know about the mandatory attendance, dress code, no water/foo, etc. I find it surprising, almost ridiculous, that people in LDP (especially those who have been at LECOM for at least a semester) complain about the rules like they never knew about them.

Complaining about your (not referencing just DocSpaceman but in general) disdain for the rules and adminstration on SDN is great if you want a place to vent, but there won't be any change at LECOM. If you want things to change, join SGA or be a class officer. Become buddy buddy with admin or some influential profs and things may change.

 

[Mbeas]

dickish

dickish

Too many people being dickish

 

[bleeker10]

I think PBL is winning... I think PBL at Bradenton would be more winninging, but not because of cadavers (which smell really bad, and don't look at all like a normal body) but because its in Bradenton with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world!! The one downside to Bradenton is the creepy-fricken clowns everywhere in the halls!!! UGH!!! Talk about keeping your eyes to the floor! Anyway, baking soda beaches and warm weather!!! Way better than Erie... 😉 and dog friendly! Erie is SO not dog friendly!

So if I'm a girl, and from MN, can I skip out of the "how to drive in the snow and not touch little boys inappropriately" lecture?? I do understand there are people who have never driven in snow, I however have now driven in snow in MN and in the mountains in CO... PA has nothing on either place, no big deal... as for the rest, I only have the urge to touch adult men inappropriately not little boys... (please see that with all innuendo-humor possible)

Ok, lets get back to the conversation... PBL is winning... hands down!

Erie is a very snowy place. I lived in Bemidji, MN for a year and Erie has more snow, but Bemidji is colder. A foot of snow can dump on the ground in Erie in just a couple hours. You will go into LECOM with your car free of snow and come back outside a couple hours later and have to spend 10 minutes clearing it off. Interestingly, Edinoboro gets more snow than Erie.

ISP is the best pathway at LECOM by far. It combines the best parts of LDP (direction/lectures/modules) with the best parts of PBL (learning from a book, no mandatory attendance).

 

[bleeker10]

Yes the schedule is bad, but there are ways to use the time to your advantage. Regardless of what the lecture was I had no problem sitting in my assigned seat and reviewing another subject or teaching myself the lecture that was going on in the background and completely tuning out the professor.

Most of the time I never paid attention in class. I played games or watched stupid videos. I would review the lectures at night and then use board review books (BRS phys, Goljan, FA, etc) on the weekend to clear up any questions I had and to really cement the material in my mind.

The best thing I ever did was switch my seat from the front row, middle section to the back of the class. I did this second semester, second year and it enabled me to board study during class without having to worry about looking like I was paying attention. I would pop some headphones in and go through FA or Goljan. It allowed me to crank through the material once thoroughly by the end of March. By the time most people started board review, I had been through the material a couple times.

 

[deleted245139]

We can dicker about silly rules all day but people are ignoring a glaring advantage that many of us will only see 10 or 15 yrs down the line... At the end of the day LECOM is the cheapest DO school available. We can argue about what we 'sacrifice' to have that (paving our way on rotations, no food in lecture halls, whatever), but the fact is, the first 2 years (first 4 years) will go by in the blink of an eye. Personally, i'm glad that I will have tens of thousands of dollars less debt (when one considers interest probably closer to 100K) than many of my peers.

I got into NYCOM. I LOOOOVED NYCOM. I said no to NYCOM and from a financial standpoint I'm glad I did, and I would again. LECOM is cheap, Erie is cheap.

When the dust settles, Med school will be a distant memory and you will be staring down the barrel of a hell of a lot of debt. Peoples concerns are valid but there is NO SUCH THING as a perfect school with perfect education. That said, step back and look at your big picture; a few years putting up with what you perceive as silly/unjust/iron-fist rules for a LOT less debt than a alot of our peers.

(ps... if you think the silly rules/big-brother attitude stop after medical school, you are SORELY mistaken. Wait till you go on rotations and experience other hospitals, and better yet, other schools and all the complaints THEY have.... then I promise you'll understand why we're back on here to offer clarity. The grass isn't nearly as green as you think it may be.)

 

[preDoGuy24]

We can dicker about silly rules all day but people are ignoring a glaring advantage that many of us will only see 10 or 15 yrs down the line... At the end of the day LECOM is the cheapest DO school available. We can argue about what we 'sacrifice' to have that (paving our way on rotations, no food in lecture halls, whatever), but the fact is, the first 2 years (first 4 years) will go by in the blink of an eye. Personally, i'm glad that I will have tens of thousands of dollars less debt (when one considers interest probably closer to 100K) than many of my peers.

I got into NYCOM. I LOOOOVED NYCOM. I said no to NYCOM and from a financial standpoint I'm glad I did, and I would again. LECOM is cheap, Erie is cheap.

When the dust settles, Med school will be a distant memory and you will be staring down the barrel of a hell of a lot of debt. Peoples concerns are valid but there is NO SUCH THING as a perfect school with perfect education. That said, step back and look at your big picture; a few years putting up with what you perceive as silly/unjust/iron-fist rules for a LOT less debt than a alot of our peers.

(ps... if you think the silly rules/big-brother attitude stop after medical school, you are SORELY mistaken. Wait till you go on rotations and experience other hospitals, and better yet, other schools and all the complaints THEY have.... then I promise you'll understand why we're back on here to offer clarity. The grass isn't nearly as green as you think it may be.)

This, agree with everything. Cost was why I came to LECOM, with multiple other less restricting schools to choose from. I would go a step further and say the silly rules/regulatations continue when your an attending as well...we are all going to be dancing to someone else's toon ( "medical care reform", administrators what have you) eventually.

 

[bleeker10]

You will miss the long days of scheduled class when you are sitting at the hospital, waiting for your attending or senior resident to let you go home. I don't mind long hours but it sucks waiting, not knowing what time you will be leaving. At least in LDP, I knew what time we were done each day. Nothing worse than sitting in the resident lounge/library with nothing to do besides reading U2D. Moments like that reinforce the notion that med students are mostly useless when it comes to patient care.

I'm not gonna comment on the cost/inexpensiveness of LECOM since I'm HPSP. I'll gladly take 9 years of Army life rather than having med school loans. But this is a debate for a different forum.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Erie is a very snowy place. I lived in Bemidji, MN for a year and Erie has more snow, but Bemidji is colder. A foot of snow can dump on the ground in Erie in just a couple hours. You will go into LECOM with your car free of snow and come back outside a couple hours later and have to spend 10 minutes clearing it off. Interestingly, Edinoboro gets more snow than Erie.

ISP is the best pathway at LECOM by far. It combines the best parts of LDP (direction/lectures/modules) with the best parts of PBL (learning from a book, no mandatory attendance).

Erie is only snowy by 'non-mountain standards'. Minneapolis received the same amount of snow last year in one year as Erie does normally, I maintained my sidewalks and driveway myself (no snow-blower), while working full time and going to school full time... I do not worry about snow, that's why they make winter tires and snow brushes. I lived in MN for 35 years, I am fully capable and aware of snowstorms and what they do... Hell, I survived the 1991 Halloween blizzard! I didn't even have my license yet, just a permit but my mom let me drive to learn how to drive in the snow! Rear-wheeled drive Dodge Aspen! Oh YEAH BABY! Ok, so anyway, those of us from MN aren't in need of lessons... and I'll be coming out with a brand new VW Tiguan (its nice having a husband who works for VW)... anyway... the mountains get TONS of snow, and Denver has seen it's fair share of it... either way, drive on I-70 in the snow between Denver and Vail, if you make it you can drive anywhere!

Oh, and PBL has mandatory attendance for PBL sessions and OMM... 😉

 

[illegallysmooth]

It was in the 60s in Bradenton today and I was freezing! This is coming from a Buffalo girl, haha.

You know, I think people should have to watch video diaries from interns as part of the application process. Today I talked to someone who I was very close to while he was going through his 4th year rotations and then his internship, and it reminded me of this post. I just cannot imagine complaining about dress code, ID badges, food/drink rules and security after seeing/hearing what he did every day. It's all so trivial. Putting on dress pants requires the same amount of effort as putting on jeans, so it's no different (unless you weren't planning on wearing pants at all 🙂). It's like a hospital, essentially. They're training you for the real world. I remember what life in undergrad was like! Comfy! But now, I have a professional wardrobe, I've learned not to forget my ID, to be early, commit to my studies, follow the rules and to act like a professional in general. I will carry that attitude and responsibility into my rotations and residency. I've noticed that people coming right out of undergrad with limited work experience have a harder time with it.

I loved the environment at CCOM - the students looked very cozy in their hoodies and it was a relaxed environment, more comfortable to those coming right from undergrad, I would think. It's a GREAT program, but the students talked about having exams every week and lectures every day, plus the tuition was insane. I can't stand lectures. PBL allows me to put in around 40 hours/week, like a full-time job but on my own schedule, and probably more during exam weeks.

LECOM is definitely not for everyone. I just don't want people to write off LECOM entirely because of these complaints.

 

[bleeker10]

Erie is only snowy by 'non-mountain standards'. Minneapolis received the same amount of snow last year in one year as Erie does normally, I maintained my sidewalks and driveway myself (no snow-blower), while working full time and going to school full time... I do not worry about snow, that's why they make winter tires and snow brushes. I lived in MN for 35 years, I am fully capable and aware of snowstorms and what they do... Hell, I survived the 1991 Halloween blizzard! I didn't even have my license yet, just a permit but my mom let me drive to learn how to drive in the snow! Rear-wheeled drive Dodge Aspen! Oh YEAH BABY! Ok, so anyway, those of us from MN aren't in need of lessons... and I'll be coming out with a brand new VW Tiguan (its nice having a husband who works for VW)... anyway... the mountains get TONS of snow, and Denver has seen it's fair share of it... either way, drive on I-70 in the snow between Denver and Vail, if you make it you can drive anywhere!

Oh, and PBL has mandatory attendance for PBL sessions and OMM... 😉

I wasn't trying to compare Erie to places in the Rockies. I was just comparing it to MN. I'm not even trying to say you can't handle the snow. I was just talking about it in general for the other posters.

I know PBL has mandatory attendance for OMM and PBL sessions. ISP also has mandatory attendance for their ISP meetings and OMM. I was just comparing them to LDP.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Gotcha... I'm just not worried about snow, or little boys... 😛 I would be SO irritated if I had to sit through a lecture/meeting on that...

 

[DocSpaceman]

We once had a meeting from the administration about someone who pooped in one of the bathrooms at LECOM and left a HUGEE MESS including their boxers in the bathroom. They threatened all of us that we are unprofessional and that this person should have let someone notify that they clogged the toilet and that it was overflowing. They told everyone that the student who did it should come forward privately that very day so that they could talk with them about being professional or else they would look on security footage to see who it was. They also said if that person didn't come forward, the dean would have a talk with this person personally and consider expelling them from the program.

If you think I am joking, I am 100% serious. I could not make that up. Just another example of LECOM BS everyone has to deal with. I could go on and on.

and this was in the first week of school. How embarrassing for that student and horrifying. Poor kid..

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

We once had a meeting from the administration about someone who pooped in one of the bathrooms at LECOM and left a HUGEE MESS including their boxers in the bathroom. They threatened all of us that we are unprofessional and that this person should have let someone notify that they clogged the toilet and that it was overflowing. They told everyone that the student who did it should come forward privately that very day so that they could talk with them about being professional or else they would look on security footage to see who it was. They also said if that person didn't come forward, the dean would have a talk with this person personally and consider expelling them from the program.

If you think I am joking, I am 100% serious. I could not make that up. Just another example of LECOM BS everyone has to deal with. I could go on and on.

and this was in the first week of school. How embarrassing for that student and horrifying. Poor kid..

Wow... so someone has a horrible day... probably had a bout of food poisoning, and instead of "please don't let this happen again, leave an anonymous note for the maintenance people" or similar, they threaten to remove the student responsible!!??? Wow... That is pretty bad... Poor guy...

 

[Student DO c]

....

 

[csmittyB]

We once had a meeting from the administration about someone who pooped in one of the bathrooms at LECOM and left a HUGEE MESS including their boxers in the bathroom. They threatened all of us that we are unprofessional and that this person should have let someone notify that they clogged the toilet and that it was overflowing. They told everyone that the student who did it should come forward privately that very day so that they could talk with them about being professional or else they would look on security footage to see who it was. They also said if that person didn't come forward, the dean would have a talk with this person personally and consider expelling them from the program.

If you think I am joking, I am 100% serious. I could not make that up. Just another example of LECOM BS everyone has to deal with. I could go on and on.

and this was in the first week of school. How embarrassing for that student and horrifying. Poor kid..

I must admit I lol'd during that speech. I was expecting to see crime scene tape blocking off the bathroom right outside the library. I remember last year when the mens room near lecture hall C had the yellow tape preventing people from utilizing that restroom.

I also enjoyed the security officers speech about staying off the grass.

 

[deleted245139]

hahaaha the pooper strikes again. Not kidding this has happened at least once or twice a year for the past 3 yrs now. I have my $ on a disgruntled employee to be honest.

 

[bleeker10]

hahaaha the pooper strikes again. Not kidding this has happened at least once or twice a year for the past 3 yrs now. I have my $ on a disgruntled employee to be honest.

No way dude. It's one of the pharm students for sure. Even the profs think that.

 

[perpetual labor]

As a prospective student for this upcoming fall, I appreciate all the input from the various students that have stepped up to speak their minds. Well rounded discussions like this make SDN the great asset it has become for so many. Thanks guys.

+1. Applied to both campuses, and appreciate the info. Keep it cordial! Nothing better than hearing honest complaints from students who aren't failing. You don't have to love every aspect of your medical school, but some of these rules at the LECOMs are a bit draconian.

-P

 

[Isoprop]

We once had a meeting from the administration about someone who pooped in one of the bathrooms at LECOM and left a HUGEE MESS including their boxers in the bathroom. They threatened all of us that we are unprofessional and that this person should have let someone notify that they clogged the toilet and that it was overflowing. They told everyone that the student who did it should come forward privately that very day so that they could talk with them about being professional or else they would look on security footage to see who it was. They also said if that person didn't come forward, the dean would have a talk with this person personally and consider expelling them from the program.

If you think I am joking, I am 100% serious. I could not make that up. Just another example of LECOM BS everyone has to deal with. I could go on and on.

and this was in the first week of school. How embarrassing for that student and horrifying. Poor kid..

Oh Jebus, I'm glad I'm not going here.

 

[bleeker10]

We once had a meeting from the administration about someone who pooped in one of the bathrooms at LECOM and left a HUGEE MESS including their boxers in the bathroom. They threatened all of us that we are unprofessional and that this person should have let someone notify that they clogged the toilet and that it was overflowing. They told everyone that the student who did it should come forward privately that very day so that they could talk with them about being professional or else they would look on security footage to see who it was. They also said if that person didn't come forward, the dean would have a talk with this person personally and consider expelling them from the program.

If you think I am joking, I am 100% serious. I could not make that up. Just another example of LECOM BS everyone has to deal with. I could go on and on.

and this was in the first week of school. How embarrassing for that student and horrifying. Poor kid..

First semester of my first year, someone tried to flush a banana peel down the toilet so LECOM put up signs telling students not to do that. Some of the things the students' do is very perplexing.

I could see LECOM doing that. More than likely they wouldn't expel the student. It's just a "motivational tool". Still sucks for that person. Wonder if they had IBS and were super nervous. I couldn't imagine having to sit in class, hoping nobody finds out you are the mystery pooper. Maybe the person was involved in an epic game of battle-$hit$