LMU-DCOM Adcice

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ATPsynthase123

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I was recently accepted to LMU-DCOM, and was wondering if any current DCOM students/alum would have an opinion on the program. I am trying to determine whether or not I should keep interviewing DO schools or be happy with LMU.

As of now my only worry is the 225 class size and the lottery system for Core sites. It makes me worry that I will be unlucky and end up spending all of third year at a walk in clinic in rural middle Tennessee rather than a non-rural hospital.

Other than that, the COMLEX scores are good, first time COMLEX pass rates and the residency placements are varied and not limited to FM or IM (however right now i want to do IM or some IM subspecialty). I was impressed with the faculty, student happiness, was comfortable with the rural community, and the facilities. Ultimately the school fits my goals.

So basically what is your opinion of the school, and would you recommend it to others? My parents are pressuring me to save money and cancel my other 3 interviews, and go to DCOM but i only want to do that if it will give me ample opportunity to succeed in my career.

Essentially if I am going to give this school 4 years and go into $250,000 dollars of student loan debt for them, I want to make 110% sure that this school is a good fit for me. Again, my biggest worry is getting out of medical school with inadequate clinical training.

Anyways thanks for the help!
 
Obviously not a DCOM student, but what other interviews do you have lined up? Do you particularly have any reason to believe you'll be happier there over DCOM? How much will attending all 3 of them cost you? Will this cost disadvantage you in some way?
 
Drrrrrr. Celty said:
Obviously not a DCOM student, but what other interviews do you have lined up? Do you particularly have any reason to believe you'll be happier there over DCOM? How much will attending all 3 of them cost you? Will this cost disadvantage you in some way?
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Current interviews are KYCOM, WVSOM (probably canceling tomrrow because I don't like the OOS tuition), and CUSOM.

I feel like CUSOM would give me the best pre-clinical and clinical education of the 4 schools, but it would require me to essentially abandon my Fiancee and family for 4 years, while at DCOM I could visit regularly.

I want to interview at KYCOM because of its ranking with rural primary care and the fact that it produced one of the best physicians I have ever met. I know that academically it is a worse program than DCOM, but I feel that it could prepare me well for what I want to do a a physician.

I really don't want to attend WVSOM due to the OOS tuition, so I am canceling it.

For gas, food and a hotel it will cost me about $700 to attend both CUSOM and KYCOM's interviews. This cost won't put me in the poor house, but my non-doctor parents think it's crazy that I want to attend multiple interviews and see which is the best fit for me.


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Abandoning a strong safety net is always a bad idea. CUSOM is probably a better school than LMU, but it has its own demons i.e mandatory lectures.

If my Fiancée and family were close to DCOM I'd probably pay the deposit on it and start working out the details of life there. And while you could pull off a long distance relationship ( I manage one with my boyfriend), I think it produces its own problems.

But that's my opinion. Attending CUSOM won't likely destroy you and I can probably say that KYCOM or WVSOM probably aren't better schools than LMU.
 
Drrrrrr. Celty said:
Abandoning a strong safety net is always a bad idea. CUSOM is probably a better school than LMU, but it has its own demons i.e mandatory lectures.

If my Fiancée and family were close to DCOM I'd probably pay the deposit on it and start working out the details of life there. And while you could pull off a long distance relationship ( I manage one with my boyfriend), I think it produces its own problems.

But that's my opinion. Attending CUSOM won't likely destroy you and I can probably say that KYCOM or WVSOM probably aren't better schools than LMU.
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I know that if I attend LMU I would be able to make a few visits home per month on the weekends. Any school that is 3+ hours away, would make the drive impossible. It would also be easier for family and Fiancée to visit me if I were at LMU as opposed to KYCOM or CUSOM.

Honestly I would rather have a strong support network, than a marginally better education. At least I think I would be more successful with the ability to see my SO and family as opposed to being alone in the middle of North Carolina.

Why do you think LMU is better than KYCOM? I would choose LMU over WVSOM just based on the tuition alone.


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I didn't even apply to KY or CUSOM cuz of the dress code and/or mandatory attendance. I don't know if that still applies. If you're closer to your family def choose DCOM. Streaming lectures and no mandatory attendance (unless bottom 25%) would be great for you. Plenty of long weekends without mand. classes/labs since they've been nice not scheduling a lot of labs Friday afternoons. I could be streaming lectures at the poker tables in Vegas rt now if Grey's Anatomy season premiere wasn't last night. (Had to watch since it's the reason I entered med school). *Disclaimer - Don't say that during your interviews.


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Gordon Gekko said:
I didn't even apply to KY or CUSOM cuz of the dress code and/or mandatory attendance. I don't know if that still applies. If you're closer to your family def choose DCOM. Streaming lectures and no mandatory attendance (unless bottom 25%) would be great for you. Plenty of long weekends without mand. classes/labs since they've been nice not scheduling a lot of labs Friday afternoons. I could be streaming lectures at the poker tables in Vegas rt now if Grey's Anatomy season premiere wasn't last night. (Had to watch since it's the reason I entered med school). *Disclaimer - Don't say that during your interviews.


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Yeah I go to KYCOM. On paper they've taken away the mandatory attendance after your first semester. But I've been in class more second year than when classes are mandatory because daily attendance quizzes in Peds and micro. Which we have at least one of those everyday, on most days we have both.
There's nuisances about this school that drive me insane. But I feel like that is possible at every school.
I don't feel like LMU is an inherently stronger school, I interviewed at both and chose KYCOM because they accepted me first and I'd paid the deposit by the time LMU gave me a shot.
Truly my only deciding factor was I already paid the deposit at KYCOM.
I have a girl in my class who started medical school at LMU and transferred to KYCOM because she hated her experience there and their unwillingness to work with her.

I also cancelled a WVSOM interview, because once you get in somewhere screw that out of state tuition.

Overall I'd say both schools are pretty equal be if those are your options it doesn't really matter.

Though I would probably pick CUSOM if given the opportunity. I believe it's a better school than both LMU and KYCOM, but I also don't have a family.

Edit: just note the making of the good physician you keep referring to is probably inherently in his character, not anything to do with where he went to medical school.
 
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I would cancel KYCOM and WVSOM. There is no appreciable difference between them and LMU, and given your personal circumstances, it doesn't make sense. CUSOM is still young, but I'm all for underdogs and having a backup.

I'd put down the deposit for LMU, go to the CUSOM interview, and then just delay the decision until you see if you got an acceptance to CUSOM. If you don't, you already have a spot and if you do, then you at least have an option.
 
samac said:
Yeah I go to KYCOM. On paper they've taken away the mandatory attendance after your first semester. But I've been in class more second year than when classes are mandatory because daily attendance quizzes in Peds and micro. Which we have at least one of those everyday, on most days we have both.
There's nuisances about this school that drive me insane. But I feel like that is possible at every school.
I don't feel like LMU is an inherently stronger school, I interviewed at both and chose KYCOM because they accepted me first and I'd paid the deposit by the time LMU gave me a shot.
Truly my only deciding factor was I already paid the deposit at KYCOM.
I have a girl in my class who started medical school at LMU and transferred to KYCOM because she hated her experience there and their unwillingness to work with her.

I also cancelled a WVSOM interview, because once you get in somewhere screw that out of state tuition.

Overall I'd say both schools are pretty equal be if those are your options it doesn't really matter.

Though I would probably pick CUSOM if given the opportunity. I believe it's a better school than both LMU and KYCOM, but I also don't have a family.

Edit: just note the making of the good physician you keep referring to is probably inherently in his character, not anything to do with where he went to medical school.
Click to expand...

What was the transfer students complaints about DCOM? Like they didn't want to work with her as in helping with academics or clinical stuff?


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hallowmann said:
I would cancel KYCOM and WVSOM. There is no appreciable difference between them and LMU, and given your personal circumstances, it doesn't make sense. CUSOM is still young, but I'm all for underdogs and having a backup.

I'd put down the deposit for LMU, go to the CUSOM interview, and then just delay the decision until you see if you got an acceptance to CUSOM. If you don't, you already have a spot and if you do, then you at least have an option.
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I'm canceling WVSOM because of the OOS tuition. Do you really think I should cancel KYCOM? I honestly don't think they are as good of a school as LMU because board pass rates are 3-5 points lower.

The only thing that worries me is that I will get accepted to CUSOM as well and turn it down because of distance from my family.

As for LMU, literally my only reservation is the class size and lottery rotation system for giving out core sites. If it wasn't for that I would cancel all of the other interviews immediately


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Do you care to unquote my last message? Would greatly appreciate it.

But if you believe LMU is better than KYCOM you should go there, I wouldn't waste money on another interview.
We also have a lottery system for rotations. We have just beat the lottery the past couple years by surveying the class beforehand and shifting people around where people get what they want.
 
samac said:
Do you care to unquote my last message? Would greatly appreciate it.

But if you believe LMU is better than KYCOM you should go there, I wouldn't waste money on another interview.
We also have a lottery system for rotations. We have just beat the lottery the past couple years by surveying the class beforehand and shifting people around where people get what they want.
Click to expand...

I took care of it!

I wonder if LMU does something similar?


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Drrrrrr. Celty said:
I can probably say that KYCOM or WVSOM probably aren't better schools than LMU.
Click to expand...

I actually want to say something here. I use do think the same thing and then went to my WVSOM interview. I honestly was more impressed with them than I was with DMU. I think WVSOM gets a bad rap because of the rural thing and because they accept a lot of students that for their mission to a T but I personally feel it is up there compared to other DO programs.
 
AnatomyGrey12 said:
I actually want to say something here. I use do think the same thing and then went to my WVSOM interview. I honestly was more impressed with them than I was with DMU. I think WVSOM gets a bad rap because of the rural thing and because they accept a lot of students that for their mission to a T but I personally feel it is up there compared to other DO programs.
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Yeah but that OOS tuition tho


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AnatomyGrey12 said:
I actually want to say something here. I use do think the same thing and then went to my WVSOM interview. I honestly was more impressed with them than I was with DMU. I think WVSOM gets a bad rap because of the rural thing and because they accept a lot of students that for their mission to a T but I personally feel it is up there compared to other DO programs.
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Impressed with what specifically? Rotations? Board scores? Call me a jaded second year, but honestly those two things are the ONLY things that matter. I teach myself all of my subjects and rarely am at school and the fancy sims aren't really all that entertaining or helpful, frankly they're distracting.
 
Drrrrrr. Celty said:
Impressed with what specifically? Rotations? Board scores? Call me a jaded second year, but honestly those two things are the ONLY things that matter. I teach myself all of my subjects and rarely am at school and the fancy sims aren't really all that entertaining or helpful, frankly they're distracting.
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I don't give two craps about sims. If I did then DMU beats all because of their surgical sim center. I'm not the normal applicant swayed by pretty lights and shiny tools (Literally most of my fellow interviewers at ACOM a few weeks ago) I am talking about established rotations at places with GME and very good board pass rates. The actual scores are lower but after some digging I had multiple students say that it was because a large majority of the class is aiming for rural PC from day one and were just aiming to pass. All of the students who wanted to do really well (Both COMLEX and USMLE) were all happy with their scores. This is info from current students I sought out and talked to.

Edit: no their rotations aren't like PCOM's or MSU but they are head and shoulders above places like LMU and KYCOM. DMU has some great rotations too but they are usually the most sought after sites and there is no guarantee you will get those as they do a lottery system.
 
AnatomyGrey12 said:
I don't give two craps about sims. If I did then DMU beats all because of their surgical sim center. I'm not the normal applicant swayed by pretty lights and shiny tools (Literally most of my fellow interviewers at ACOM a few weeks ago) I am talking about established rotations at places with GME and very good board pass rates. The actual scores are lower but after some digging I had multiple students say that it was because a large majority of the class is aiming for rural PC from day one and were just aiming to pass. All of the students who wanted to do really well (Both COMLEX and USMLE) were all happy with their scores. This is info from current students I sought out and talked to.

Edit: no their rotations aren't like PCOM's or MSU but they are head and shoulders above places like LMU and KYCOM. DMU has some great rotations too but they are usually the most sought after sites and there is no guarantee you will get those as they do a lottery system.
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Interesting. Idk, i've never heard or really imagined WVSOM having great rotations. Especially given that WV has 2 other medical schools in the two major cities in the state.
 
Drrrrrr. Celty said:
Interesting. Idk, i've never heard or really imagined WVSOM having great rotations. Especially given that WV has 2 other medical schools in the two major cities in the state.
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I interviewed their in the past, students told me similar things to @AnatomyGrey12. The Ohio Valley and Charleston Hospitals has a decent amount of GME (Charleston has an AOA Urology residency also). Usually if there are no complaints on SDN about a school's rotations, then you know the school has at least average rotations (even great rotations at times). I don't think I have read a bad review of WVSOM yet.
 
ATPsynthase123 said:
But why go if you're OOS then?


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Why do people go to the midwesterns? Why do people pay 49k for DMU or a lot of other schools? Why do some people pay that actually crazy OOS 90k at MSU? Because someone deems the education worth the extra cash compared to other acceptances. I'm not saying I'm going to go here but I think to discount anywhere automatically because the tuition is minutely more than other schools is a rash decision. (MSU is obviously it's own special category) Obviously you go wherever you feel the most comfortable though and if you loved LMU then definitely go.
 
Hey man, I don't really know anything about the schools but I can give you a little advice about choosing them. Don't take it too lightly because this is where you will be for four years. Don't let your family or Fiancé(e) influence your decision too much because ultimately it is your career and not theirs. They should support you no matter the decision you choose and be happy you'll get more opportunities than take one that's convenient for them. So, I would say take the chance and go to the other interviews. $700 is worth it in my opinion then not going and always wondering what other opportunities are out there. Good luck and congratulations.
 
OP, you've made several threads about LMUDCOM trying to find justification for going there versus somewhere else. There are very real issues with this school. But plenty of other ones have problems too. It's clear that you want to go there over anywhere else. Sure, go in with your eyes open. But do you really need a bunch of losers on the internet to validate what you know you want to do?

Disclaimer: I consider myself one of those losers so no one in this thread should take offense. I even made a thread similar to this one last cycle.


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Ho0v-man said:
OP, you've made several threads about LMUDCOM trying to find justification for going there versus somewhere else. There are very real issues with this school. But plenty of other ones have problems too. It's clear that you want to go there over anywhere else. Sure, go in with your eyes open. But do you really need a bunch of losers on the internet to validate what you know you want to do?

Disclaimer: I consider myself one of those losers so no one in this thread should take offense. I even made a thread similar to this one last cycle.


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lol I'm trying to get as many opinions as possible on the school before I make a decision. There are obvious issues with the school that I do not take lightly, but right now out of the ones I have interviews for, it is the best fit for me.

Truthfully, VCOM-VA would be the best fit for my education and for my professional goals. It has an outstanding clinical education, better rotation sites and it's only 2 hrs and 25 minutes away from home as opposed to DCOMs 2 hrs and 10 minutes. but I have yet to hear back from them after being complete 4-5 weeks ago.

So how is this for a plan, assuming I get 0 acceptances from MD schools and get accepted at VCOM. Then I will go there. If not, then I will attend LMU.

And yes, I know I don't need the validation of strangers from the internet, but there is some correlation between the SDN opinion of the school and what it actually is. I mean look at LUCOM for gods sake lol


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ATPsynthase123 said:
lol I'm trying to get as many opinions as possible on the school before I make a decision. There are obvious issues with the school that I do not take lightly, but right now out of the ones I have interviews for, it is the best fit for me.

Truthfully, VCOM-VA would be the best fit for my education and for my professional goals. It has an outstanding clinical education, better rotation sites and it's only 2 hrs and 25 minutes away from home as opposed to DCOMs 2 hrs and 10 minutes. but I have yet to hear back from them after being complete 4-5 weeks ago.

So how is this for a plan, assuming I get 0 acceptances from MD schools and get accepted at VCOM. Then I will go there. If not, then I will attend LMU.

And yes, I know I don't need the validation of strangers from the internet, but there is some correlation between the SDN opinion of the school and what it actually is. I mean look at LUCOM for gods sake lol


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Click to expand...

Then most people are going to recommend WVSOM, and rightfully so. WVSOM really does a good job at being a "rural primary care school" while giving you resources to do whatever you want to do if PC ends up not being your thing.

Source: My own personal research and about a dozen WVSOM alums.

Best of luck OP.


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Ho0v-man said:
Then most people are going to recommend WVSOM, and rightfully so. WVSOM really does a good job at being a "rural primary care school" while giving you resources to do whatever you want to do if PC ends up not being your thing.

Source: My own personal research and about a dozen WVSOM alums.

Best of luck OP.


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Click to expand...

This is what I've been saying the whole time. It gets overlooked like crazy
 
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