LECOM-SH vs RVUCOM (Colorado)

[Maidenless??]

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Summary: My deposits deadline is coming up very soon for LECOM. I also have upcoming interviews with UIWSOM, Touro Nevada, and KCU. Still waiting for decisions on Marian University and WesternU COMP-NW. The specialties I am most interested in matching are Anesthesiology and PM&R (both which have recently gotten significantly competitive).

LECOM- Seton Hill
Pros

• Cheapest Tuition (42k) + Low cost of living
• Higher 4-year graduation rate at about 86%.
• Some rotation sites may be with UPMC hospital
• Match list is decent overall, but not the best.
• Very solid board pass rates. Consistently higher than the national average, even during COVID years.
• Double pass curriculum (you see the same content twice before sitting for board exams)

Cons

• Rural location in Greensburg (45 mins from Pittsburgh, but is isolated from all other suburbs).
• Rotation sites can be all over the place in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York State. Many of them are in very rural locations. Only 4 sites are in Pittsburgh metro, which is not guaranteed to get due to the lottery system.
• PBL Curriculum (could also be a pro depending if I like it, but it is basically self-studying).
• Very unsupportive faculty and admin according to many accounts of current and former students.
• Current and former students say to avoid LECOM, unless it’s the only other option.
• Graded (A, B, C, etc.)
• Lack of opportunities for research, which may negatively affect matching into anesthesia or pm&r.

RVUCOM- Colorado
Pros

• Location: Urban, good weather and things to do.
• High first-time COMLEX pass rates (except there was a recent drop to 90% and 92% the last two years).
• Matches regularly into more competitive specialties.
• Double pass curriculum (you see the same content twice before sitting for board exams)
• Non-mandatory attendance for lectures
• Honors/Pass/Fail grading with internal ranking sent to residencies
• May be able to rotate at University of Colorado Medical Center
• Positive student experiences and comments about supportive faculty.
• More opportunities for research. They even have a Physician Scientist track you can apply for.

Cons

• High Tuition (70k)/Cost of Living
• Tuition increases about $2.3k per year.
• 4-year graduation rate is only about 80.5%. Most recent class's was 78%.
• Heavy focus on OMM
• Rotation sites can be spread out through Colorado and Utah. No guarantee of staying in Denver metro.
• A lot of rotation sites are at HCA (for-profit) hospitals, which may not provide the best clinical experiences.
• Frequent Exams every week or every other week (but could be a good thing, since each exam will have less weight).