LECOM-Erie PBL vs. VCOM-Va?

[meccado]

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Hello all! I am in a bit of a pickle. I am currently choosing between the PBL pathway at LECOM-Erie and VCOM-Va. From what I have gathered from other threads, there are many negatives to LECOM-Erie, but I went to private school my entire life and don't have a problem following rules. I wanted to hear from those who are happy at LECOM-Erie and why that might be. VCOM, I have not heard much about besides from my interview. Here is my thinking so far:

LECOM-Erie:
Pros
1. PBL.
2. More established (older school).
3. Rotation sites in NY (my hometown) although I know they don't pay their rotation sites so this could change. Nevertheless, rotation sites in the North.
4. Slightly higher first-time pass rating.
5. Really cheap (relatively).
6. Ranked top 50 in nation in Primary Care (I am looking for Primary Care)

Cons
1. The feel of the school seemed a bit cold (literally and figuratively), but in fairness I did not meet many of the faculty members during Interview day.
2. PBL does not use the cadavers for anatomy and are limited to simulations.
3. It snows A LOT, but this isn't a make-or-break reason I wouldn't go.

VCOM
Pros
1. It is next to VTech and has access to all of their amenities.
2. It is in VA (I was in VA for my undergrad career) and love the weather there.
3. Faculty/staff/students are extremely nice here and seem to be willing to work with you at any time.
4. A lot more laid back feel to the school as opposed to LECOM.
5. Anatomy lab is awesome with a great cadaver set up.
6. I have heard nothing but great things about the school.

Cons
1. It is newer.
2. Rotation sites are predominantly if not only in the VA/WV/NC/SC area with a main focus on practicing medicine in rural areas.
3. I have heard from previous threads their match process/administration who handles this is not great and has messed up opportunities for a number of students in the past.
4. More expensive.


I am leaning LECOM-Erie right now but I am honestly really up in the air about it so any feedback would be great!

 

[xBODOMx]

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[Doctor_Strange]

Can any other students comment on this? I received an II from VCOM Virginia campus, but have been planning on attending LECOM-SH for some time now. Both schools appear to have their pros and cons, but it seems LECOM has a bit more reputation associated with its name...

 

[Buckypremed21]

I really liked VCOM and I'm from Pittsburgh, PA (relatively close to Erie). I think you need to look at the curriculum. The PBL pathway is very unique, I've heard it's rewarding if you like it. I interviewed at LECOM-SH and discovered that the PBL isn't for me. Geographically, VCOM is better. Erie is not fun.


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[crazyboi1993]

I am at PBL at Bradenton, which is very similar to Erie, and I absolutely love it, I actually have a lot of free time and social life not gonna lie, and go ham a week before the test, and no lectures is the best part, its all on you to learn it

 

[doctorbob23]

Idk but during my LECOM interview I got the weirdest vibe. And the dean tried to sell the school like a used car salesman.

 

[iamdragonborn]

I got accepted to VCOM-CC and waitlisted at LECOM-B; I decided to put my deposit down for the former rather than write an LOI and pursue the latter. PBL certainly seems much more enticing than lectures, but personally I felt the atmosphere was much more welcoming and student-centered at VCOM. I felt like LECOM viewed me more as a number, sold themselves primarily on stats, and avoided talking about the culture of the school. Obviously it's never a bad thing to emphasize your stats, but when that is probably 95% of what you talked about on interview day, that's a red flag for me. That's just from my experience and what I'm most looking for in a medical school.

Granted, LECOM is certainly well-established in SW Florida (I'm from the area) and in Pennsylvania, so that makes it good for rotations. At the same time, VCOM has rotation sites all over the Appalachian region, plus a few in other locations (I believe I heard several students went to D.C. and Richmond). They are also opening two this upcoming year in South Florida area.

If I were you, I would ask students of the respective schools in the "Medical School" forum for input about each of their programs and decide from there.


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[Doctor_Strange]

I am at PBL at Bradenton, which is very similar to Erie, and I absolutely love it, I actually have a lot of free time and social life not gonna lie, and go ham a week before the test, and no lectures is the best part, its all on you to learn it

PBL is very appealing to me. And I believe I have what it takes to successfully navigate the curriculum and self-study, but there still is a part of me that worries I could major F up. I guess if it was a normal lecture based curriculum I would feel more like there were support systems in place to help students but that of course could be true with PBL I just have not looked into it. And I think the other thing that concerns me is that each semester has only 3 exams as opposed to having an exam like every 3 weeks.

What have been some unexpected challenges from PBL so far at LECOM-B for you @crazyboi1993 "?

 

[Doctor_Strange]

Idk but during my LECOM interview I got the weirdest vibe. And the dean tried to sell the school like a used car salesman.

I buy that. They don't really have a family feel at least on interview day for me but that didn't bother me. I don't want to be besties with the faculty, I want to learn, do rotations, and graduate.

 

[crazyboi1993]

PBL is very appealing to me. And I believe I have what it takes to successfully navigate the curriculum and self-study, but there still is a part of me that worries I could major F up. I guess if it was a normal lecture based curriculum I would feel more like there were support systems in place to help students but that of course could be true with PBL I just have not looked into it. And I think the other thing that concerns me is that each semester has only 3 exams as opposed to having an exam like every 3 weeks.

What have been some unexpected challenges from PBL so far at LECOM-B for you @crazyboi1993 "?

Honestly I thought PBL the first semester was going to be harder, than it actually was. It honestly is all on you. You have no lectures, so you have to READ, READ, and READ, and try to understand the chapters yourself. For me, I never opened a book in undergrad, but in PBL, I actually enjoyed reading by myself. Our group decides what to get tested on, and its a very Independent way of learning, but I do enjoy it, because making it case-based, makes me actually remember a lot, and it will certainly make me a good doctor.