LECOM good school?

[ocdoc]

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Is LECOM a good DO School? how high is it ranked? Is there a website anywhere that ranks all the DO schools?

 

[MaximusD]

It's important that you not look @ rankings based on others criteria of what's important. Rather, you should research each school's strengths and weaknesses which should be complimented by speaking with students from the institution. This way, you can judge which school is "best" and not throw away 200k on what others judge to be important.

Factors you shoudl consider are as follows:

1. USMLE scores
2. % entering primary care
3. location (rural, suburban, urban..)
4. age of school
5. facilities (condition of physical plant, technology)
6. clinical locations for 3rd and 4th years..

There are more and I'm sure others will follow up with them 🙂

That said, my only problem with LECOM is its relative newness. My understanding is that LECOM was a splinter from PCOM. LECOM was founded in 1992, and it is relatively new. The concern with that is whether there are many LECOM graduates in the field, and more importantly how well-respected these individuals are among those who review residency applications... This is my biggest problem with schools just recently founded like VCOM and DCOM...

At least with LECOM there is over a decade of recognition and over five years of full accreditation by the AOA.

According to my 2006 book by US News & World Report....
here a few key points..

Admissions:

3.32 Avg GPA
7.9 composite (23-24) MCAT
VR: 7.9 BS: 8.2 PS: 7.6

Acceptance rate: 12.2%
In-state acceptance rate: 37.1% (wow)
Out-of-state acceptance rate: 9.1%
Minority acceptance rate: 8.1%
International Acceptance rate: 100% (wtf)

Residency:

61% enter primary care residencies
31% stay in-state for their residency

Graduates commonly enter:

Emergency medicine, family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, radiology--diagnostic, surgery-general.

Ask if you want more info...

Best of luck in your decision!

 

[Dr JPH]

That said, my only problem with LECOM is its relative newness. My understanding is that LECOM was a splinter from PCOM. LECOM was founded in 1992, and it is relatively new.

I wouldnt worry about the "newness" of LECOM. I hardly think its that new at all. It is well known in the Pittsburgh area and even in Philadelphia, clear across the state. LECOM grads match into great programs in PA, OH, NJ, NY and all over the east coast.

You would be taking a far greater risk attending a brand new school (<4-5 years old).

If you would be happy living in that part of PA and like the school, definately apply. They have a PBL curriculum as well if that interests you.

 

[MaximusD]

I like rural PA, but I just don't know if Erie would be a good place to actually get a medical education. I'm sure it has plenty of good affiliations by now... But I would much rather go to a med school in a larger city in PA.

A closet favorite of mine would be to get into the University of Vermont. I love Vermont, and I secretly hold it as one of my top schools although I haven't clued any of my relatives in on this fact yet. Sorry, I know this is DO-only talk but I am realistically applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools.

A doctor IS a doctor. Give me that white lab coat and let's start healing, I say. Sorry for the off-topic remark.. I'm bired and putting off medical ethics readings haha...would it be bad if I got my first failing grade in medical ethics?😴

 

[bkpa2med]

Any more comments preferably from Erie students?

 

[hopesofmedicine]

hi i am a current post-bac at lecom. as a new york transplant, i can definately say that erie is filled with the nicest and friendliest people you will ever meet. lecom will bend over backward to help you in any way that they can. the profs are extremely nice and accessible. erie is a small town and runs at a slower pace than i am used to. but, you must remember that you are going to med school to learn and get an education. lecom-erie is my #1 choice at this time. if you have any other questions pm me.

 

[hopefulKelliDO]

I just found out today that I was accepted to LECOM- Erie!! Although I didn't love the Erie area, I did like the school and am very happy to be accepted🙂 I would really like to know more about the school. If possible, could a current student post about the pros and cons of this school? What impressions did other interviewees have? Thanks guys!!

 

[NjD00]

I just found out today that I was accepted to LECOM- Erie!! Although I didn't love the Erie area, I did like the school and am very happy to be accepted🙂 I would really like to know more about the school. If possible, could a current student post about the pros and cons of this school? What impressions did other interviewees have? Thanks guys!!

hopefulkelliDO, when did you interview there? I interviewed on Oct. 2nd...I was really impressed by the school. Very professional feeling with the atmosphere, and the faculty seemed to be very nice. I thought the area was great and that it had sort of a large city feel, but mostly quiet for study. The PBL seemed to be the way to go for me

 

[NjD00]

I just found out today that I was accepted to LECOM- Erie!! Although I didn't love the Erie area, I did like the school and am very happy to be accepted🙂 I would really like to know more about the school. If possible, could a current student post about the pros and cons of this school? What impressions did other interviewees have? Thanks guys!!

hopefulkelliDO, when did you interview there? I interviewed on Oct. 2nd...I was really impressed by the school. Very professional feeling with the atmosphere, and the faculty seemed to be very nice. I thought the area was great and that it had sort of a large city feel, but mostly quiet for study. The PBL seemed to be the way to go for me

 

[NjD00]

whoops, double post

 

[hopefulKelliDO]

hopefulkelliDO, when did you interview there? I interviewed on Oct. 2nd...I was really impressed by the school. Very professional feeling with the atmosphere, and the faculty seemed to be very nice. I thought the area was great and that it had sort of a large city feel, but mostly quiet for study. The PBL seemed to be the way to go for me

I interviewed on Sept. 25 and if i remember correctly, they meet every other Wednesday and they met two days after my interview. So you should be hearing 2 weeks I would imagine. I was impressed by the school also! I feel as though Erie would be a really good place to study with minimal distractions. My top choice was ISP and in my acceptance package they indicated that I was accepted into ISP, which I am especially happy about 🙂 Good luck to you!! Maybe we will be classmates for LECOM 201😀

 

[MikeyLu2010]

hi i am a current post-bac at lecom. as a new york transplant, i can definately say that erie is filled with the nicest and friendliest people you will ever meet. lecom will bend over backward to help you in any way that they can. the profs are extremely nice and accessible. erie is a small town and runs at a slower pace than i am used to. but, you must remember that you are going to med school to learn and get an education. lecom-erie is my #1 choice at this time. if you have any other questions pm me.

Thats because NY is filled with Aholes..if you went to anywhere else in the world u'd feel that they are the nicest/friendliest ppl...Having said that I dont doubt that erie ppl are friendly..most small towns are like that..Just pointing out it really doesnt really mean much from a NY'er 😉

 

[bkpa2med]

Hey! I'm a NY'er as well. It's nice to see a change where people are nice lol

 

[MossPoh]

Oh man. You people would crap your pants where I live now. People actually go out of the way to hold doors for people, smile and say hello, talk to eachother in lines....I don't know if you new yorkers could handle it.😛

 

[bkpa2med]

Oh man. You people would crap your pants where I live now. People actually go out of the way to hold doors for people, smile and say hello, talk to eachother in lines....I don't know if you new yorkers could handle it.😛

<~ NY laugh

 

[NjD00]

the people in Erie WERE nice. Get this...my taxi was super late so a random hotel/airport shuttle driver took me all the way across town to my interview. how cool is that? ( the shuttle, not that $#%#%^ taxi)

 

[bkpa2med]

the people in Erie WERE nice. Get this...my taxi was super late so a random hotel/airport shuttle driver took me all the way across town to my interview. how cool is that? ( the shuttle, not that $#%#%^ taxi)

 

[Dorkus Maximus]

Hey everybody! I'm a first year here at LECOM-E. I would be more than happy to answer questions, just shoot me a PM and I'll get back to you as soon as possible, which could be a matter of hours or days, depending on the test schedule. Here's what I have to say so far (3 months in):

Pros

People: Everyone (students and faculty) are really nice and are very helpful - you just have to ask for help.

Place: Erie is a smaller city, but it's not like it's in the middle of nowhere - there's minor league hockey and baseball, lots of bars, beaches, etc. etc. - basically everything you can find in a big city, just on a smaller scale. Plus Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are all within a 2 hr. drive. I live in a brand new apartment which great neighbors... so life is good!

Education: I feel that I am getting a great education, minus a few classes (see below).

Cons

People: This place is a veritable rumor mill. Someone will hear something about a quiz or whatever, and the next thing you know, everyone is studying for a rumor. Kind of funny, yes. But also very annoying.

Place: When it's nice, it's awesome... Very rarely gets above 85 in the summer. However, it rains a lot - not really a problem since most of your time is spent indoors studying, but those few days you want to be out on the beach and it's raining, really puts a damper on the day. I haven't spent a winter here yet, but I hear it snows a **** ton.

Education: LECOM is restructuring the curriculum this year, and we are the the first to go through it. I feel like I'm getting cheated out of learning OMM as well as I should be. Plus we usually will have an OMM exam on a Friday, a CORE exam the following Monday and then Anatomy that Friday. It makes for a couple weeks of relative calmness, then all hell breaks loose. I know many other students feel the same way... Hopefully it will be better next year after they get all the kinks worked out.

With that said, I am having a great time, minus a few stressful days!!! 👍

Hope this helps!

 

[CanAmPremed]

Oh man. You people would crap your pants where I live now. People actually go out of the way to hold doors for people, smile and say hello, talk to eachother in lines....I don't know if you new yorkers could handle it.😛

Wow...come to Canada.

Even in Toronto, our biggest city (~5million) people hold doors and are constantly saying sorry and exuse me. The stereotypes are true about us, in general. I don't think I could get used to a big city in the states 😉

But just one thing....never make fun of hockey...seriously...we'll bring out our worst
...
...
...
You know...drive-by arguments

"Oh Reginald.....I disagree!!!"

 

[jamielehigh]

I'm a LECOM MS4, and I'm pretty satisfied. I am from Philadelphia, so I definitely thought Erie (and western PA) was filled with some weirdos. There is a restaurant called "George's REAL mashed potatoes." The town's (please don't call Erie a city) most famous denizens are the "ambiguously gay duo" who wearing matcing fez hats and African robes and ride a tandem bicycle between Starbucks and the Barnes and Noble. Obviously the "ambiguous" part of the name is a misnomer. My dentist was suprised when I said I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months. The Plymouth has 25 cent drafts on Monday nights. The mall is pitiful, but outlets are an hour away. I loved my apartment in Lovell Place. Oh yeah, and almost every physician is related to the Espers or the Ferrettis.

However, my education has prepared me for my career. The professors really try to help the students. The clinical education ladies will help you out if you are polite to them. I easily passed all my board exams, and I have plenty of interviews scheduled. Once you start rotations, you see how little differences there are among medical schools. I've rotated with PCOMers, DMU, NYCOM, VCOM, Drexel, Temple, UPenn, and Jeff students and we're all pretty similar.

So the difference comes down to location, rotation sites, and school "philosophy." Don't come to LECOM if the idea of living in Erie makes you want to kill yourself. Don't come if you don't plan on following LECOM's rules (which are clear when you interview). AND realize that most of LECOM's best rotation sites are in Erie, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Michigan. I did most of my rotations around Philadelphia and my choices were much more limited (because most hospitals have agreements with the Philly schools).

I love LECOM's cost of attendance is more than $10,000/yr cheaper than the Philly schools. My other warning is to never go above 80 mph on Rt80. I've gotten pulled over 3 times (at least I didn't get any points).

Good luck. I never want to be a pre-med EVER again.

 

[MDDOBS]

I like rural PA, but I just don't know if Erie would be a good place to actually get a medical education.

Erie is not "rural PA". It's actually the 3rd or 4th largest city in Pennsylvania depending on which numbers you go by. Its two major hospitals (Hamot and St. Vincent) are quality tertiary care facilities consistently ranked in US News as top 50 hospitals.

 

[MDDOBS]

I'm a LECOM MS4, and I'm pretty satisfied. I am from Philadelphia, so I definitely thought Erie (and western PA) was filled with some weirdos. There is a restaurant called "George's REAL mashed potatoes." The town's (please don't call Erie a city) most famous denizens are the "ambiguously gay duo" who wearing matcing fez hats and African robes and ride a tandem bicycle between Starbucks and the Barnes and Noble. Obviously the "ambiguous" part of the name is a misnomer. My dentist was suprised when I said I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months. The Plymouth has 25 cent drafts on Monday nights. The mall is pitiful, but outlets are an hour away. I loved my apartment in Lovell Place. Oh yeah, and almost every physician is related to the Espers or the Ferrettis.

However, my education has prepared me for my career. The professors really try to help the students. The clinical education ladies will help you out if you are polite to them. I easily passed all my board exams, and I have plenty of interviews scheduled. Once you start rotations, you see how little differences there are among medical schools. I've rotated with PCOMers, DMU, NYCOM, VCOM, Drexel, Temple, UPenn, and Jeff students and we're all pretty similar.

So the difference comes down to location, rotation sites, and school "philosophy." Don't come to LECOM if the idea of living in Erie makes you want to kill yourself. Don't come if you don't plan on following LECOM's rules (which are clear when you interview). AND realize that most of LECOM's best rotation sites are in Erie, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Michigan. I did most of my rotations around Philadelphia and my choices were much more limited (because most hospitals have agreements with the Philly schools).

I love LECOM's cost of attendance is more than $10,000/yr cheaper than the Philly schools. My other warning is to never go above 80 mph on Rt80. I've gotten pulled over 3 times (at least I didn't get any points).

Good luck. I never want to be a pre-med EVER again.

I truly do not understand why people from the Philadelphia area seem to find living in Erie to be so terrible. I am from NYC, a LECOM grad, and have nothing but good things to say overall about living in Erie during my first two years of med school. You can talk about your perceptions of a city all you want to, but it clearly displays that you are uncomfortable in new surroundings. You don't think that Philadelphia has its very own odd idiosyncratic habits and characters??? That's what makes a place unique. True, Erie is not Philadelphia. It's a medium-sized city (yes, city. There are over 1 million people in its tri-state metro area) that does not offer the same "big city" amenities that Philly does, but it offers way more than most cities of its size do. And your coment about all the docs ion Erie being related to either the Espers or Ferrettis is simply absurd.
Erie is a definitely a blue-collar city that makes no apologies for its identity, but it is most certainly not a place to be belittled by someone who is from the preppy-filled outskirts of Philadelphia.

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

Acceptance rate: 12.2%
In-state acceptance rate: 37.1% (wow)
Out-of-state acceptance rate: 9.1%
Minority acceptance rate: 8.1%
International Acceptance rate: 100% (wtf)

Something's not right there. Perhaps it meant 10%?

I like how they only accepted 50%...

 

[jamielehigh]

Yo MDDOBS,
I apologize for being a little facetious. I actually did enjoy my time in Erie, but mostly because of the new friends I made in my class. There is a real sense of camaraderie at LECOM. The SGA planned social events that everyone attended. The note service was awesome. People emailed review sheets to the ENTIRE class. They sell a packet of old exams. MS2s/UAAO had great OMM reviews, which is probably the reason I passed the class. The lunch lady Denise (with the worst cameltoe I have ever seen- ouch!) knew all of our names. Students often get a call or email from the dean/advisor if their grades start to slip. My experience was much different that my friends who went to urban/east coast schools. There medical schools seemed more impersonal.

And, of course Philadelphia has its share of weirdos, and I am the first to admit it. It must be my trademark self-deprecating/Philadelphia sense of humor 😉.

Erie may be a small city in terms of population, but to me it felt more like a small town. I lived in Bethlehem, PA for five years, which is similar in terms of population and socioeconomic status, but the atmosphere was a lot different. Erie people were friendlier, sometimes nosier, and they move much slower. My mom said she had to "deprogram" me when I returned to Philadelphia because I was too "friendly." She was afraid I would get mugged or beaten up or something.

LECOM is not for everyone. There are lots of rules, and it's location may be an issue for some. There are more than enough people who want to go to school there, so I'm sure LECOM isn't offended if someone wants to go somewhere else. In fact, that's why you sign a paper at the interview stating you understand the school's policies. I got annoyed when people complained about not being able to drink in the lecture hall, the dress code, or the mandatory attendance policy. We all knew this when we interviewed. I went to Catholic school for years, so I was used to it.

Also, I am more than grateful for all those Espers and Ferrettis, since I will be rotating with one of them for rural/underserved medicine rotation.