Since I don't know if everyone here reads the Osteopatic Forum as well I thought I'd post it agan here. Hey it took me like a whole lecture to write this up
So I've only been at school here for, oh about 9 weeks now but I figured it is at least be better than nothing.
Curriculum: I think it is good. This semester we have anatomy (with histology), molecular fundamentals (biochem, cell bio), essentials of patient care, OMM of course, and a medical statistics type class. Anatomy and Molecular take up most of the time. After the block exam we take a group exam. You go over the same test with a group of your peers and discuss the answers. Then you get to see what the correct answers are. This is great because you will know about how well (or bad) you did on the exam. Also you get the chance to challenge questions if a majority of people in your group got the question wrong and think it was a bad question (poorly worded, not taught well, etc).
The only con I see about curriculum which really isn't that big of a deal is that the schedule is different every day. Sometimes we start at 8:30, some days we start at 7:30, sometimes we only have a couple classes on Friday, sometimes we are here all day. You have to always check the schedule to make sure you know what time class is. The consistent thing is the days we have lab but the irregularity is whether your group goes first and whether you are in the lab or the break out rooms first. It can get confusing if you don't check the schedule.
My favorite class right now is anatomy because to me seems the most important to know to be a doctor. Also anatomy carries over into OMM hugely! The anatomy lab is very nice as well.
Location: First off the area is beautiful mountains! But I think the awesome natural beauty comes with the price of it being a rural area. If it were a big city there wouldn't be as many pretty trees around. So yes it's kind of the middle of nowhere. There is a super Wal-Mart, a tiny mall, and every type of fast food restaurant you could want ten minutes away. If you want to go to a regular mall or a sit down restaurant you have to travel to Knoxville (1.5 hours away). This isn't too much of a problem because you don't have time or money to eat out or go shopping all the time.
My biggest con: If you have pets (like I do) it is VERY hard to find a place to rent. I think more apartments and what not are being built.
Cost: Tuition for this year was $31,500. The other costs are here
http://www.lmunet.edu/DCOM/finaid/budget.htm
The cost of living in the area is very cheap. I don't pay much at all for rent but I have a horrible landlord (I don't think anyone else really has this problem just me). The gas in this town has been cheaper than the neighboring cities as well. And if you go grocery shopping in KY (ten mins away with the Wal-Mart) they have no food tax.
Faculty: They are helpful and caring. Everyone wants you to do well and almost all have an open door policy. I feel like I could go up to any faculty and have a conversation with them. Of course I have some faculty I like more than others but it's just personal preference.
You have a faculty advisor assigned to you at the beginning of the year and they suggest you meet with them monthly. It's optional but it could be really helpful if you have a problem with anything personal or school related. My advisor gave me some really good study strategies. Of course you can go talk to any faculty if you need to but it is nice having someone assigned specifically for you.
Reputation: New school. We only have two classes of students currently. I think the reputation must be great since the amount of applications is greatly increasing each year. Everyone from the first class seems extremely happy and satisfied with their choice. I dont see any reason why the reputation wont continue to get better and better.
Study areas: We have 15 conference rooms that have a huge conference table, ten or so chairs, two large white boards, and a huge LCD TV that you can hook your laptop up to in order to watch lectures or look at study aides. The undergrad library (in a separate building) has a special section for medical students. I haven't been there personally but the pictures of it are really nice with comfy chairs and cute study tables. Also there are tons of tables and chairs outside that you could study at as well as two balcony areas.
My only con is there aren't any quiet individual study areas at the moment. I like to mostly study alone so I'd like to have a little desk/cubicle area to study in. This problem will soon be resolved though because they are building a new study room on the 4th floor that will be for individual study. I'm sure it will be available by the time the next class starts.
Social scene: I'm married so I don't really go to the bars that often. But by the looks of facebook photos it seems that a good majority of the class hangs out at the two bars in Cumberland Gap. Just last weekend they had a Toga Party. Other than those two bars you have to travel to Knoxville for restaurants, clubs, and more bars. I have a group of married friends and after each test we make a trip to Knoxville and go to dinner at a nice restaurant. Another thing is there is a ton of outdoor activities to do around here. I know people that go hiking, camping, bike riding, etc. No matter what type of activity you are looking for I'm sure you can find a group of friends here that like to do what you do.
Other Stuff:
Housing: There are student apartments 5 mins away from the school. I dont live there because Im married and have pets but I know a lot of people do live there. They have a pool, volley ball court, basketball court, and a workout room. The price is reasonable because it includes all utilities. I think its a great option if you live alone.
Lots of apartments have been built in the area and they fill up as soon as they are built. I am sure more will be coming since there is a demand. The only housing problem is if you own pets. I also know people that have bought houses in the area. Depending on what yours needs are will decide how hard it is to find a place to live.
Dress Code: We have one but it's not that bad. You can wear jeans!!! No t-shirts, no flip-flops, no tank tops/tube tops. So guys can wear jeans, khakis, dress pants with a polo or button up shirt. Girls have it a little easier because we tend to have a lot more options. For anatomy lab you have to wear scrubs and for OMM lab you can wear any shorts and t-shirt (not too short or controversial Ts)
Security: You get an ID swipe card. The building is open during business hours but after 4:30 you have to swipe to get in. Also the labs and conference rooms have to be swiped to get into. We have a security guard after hours. The building is 24 hours except on Friday and Saturday night when it closes from 12am-6am. It's really nice when you want to stay late and study.
Parking: Is not a problem. I think no matter where you park it wouldn't be more than a two minute walk. They added even more spaces to the parking lot and I have never seen it fill up.
Food and Drink: We have a large break area on the second floor. It has two fridges for our use, two microwaves, a coffee maker, ice machine,
toaster, two drinks machines, and two snack machines. We don't have our own cafeteria but you can walk about 5 minutes down the hill to the undergrad cafeteria. I haven't personally been so I'm not sure what the food is like but you can buy a meal plan if that's what you like.
In the lectures halls you can only have drinks in closed containers (coffee mugs, bottles, etc). Everywhere else in the building you can have food and drink. It's really nice to be able to sit in the conference rooms and bring in your dinner or lunch while studying.
Attendance: Attendance is required for all labs. Lecture attendance is not required but it is highly advised that you do attend. They could send around a sign in sheet or have a quiz that you wont want to miss. Also any small group work is required attendance. So I know some people that would rather study at home so it really is what works best for you.
Technology: We receive a laptop. They are awesome tablet notebooks. During lecture you can take all of your notes on the tablet screen. Drawing on the powerpoints as you go is very helpful feature when teachers point something out during lecture.
All of our lectures are recorded and available to watch online. You can watch the speaker with the powerpoint lecture. This is really nice if you do happen to miss a lecture, you dont pay attention during lecture, or if you miss something said. The feature I really like about this is I can watch the lectures on double speed.
The entire building has wifi. The conference rooms have large flat screen TVs to hook your laptop up to. The labs have multiple flat screen TVs so you never miss whats going. There are flat screen TVs everywhere in this building lol.
Admin: The same rules that any school has. I think by this point you should understand how to behave yourself.
Rumors: I cant really think of anything to put here.
Extra things: Its a new building so it is very nice! Everything is kept spotless by our amazing cleaning staff (who by the way are very friendly).
We have an out-patient clinic on the second floor. If you get the school provided insurance you can visit the clinic with no co-pay. This is so nice when you get sick because it is not hard to get an appointment. Also your family can use the clinic. I think that in your second year here you shadow in the clinic for a certain amount of hours per semester. I know that at my last doctors appointment I had second years in the room (dont worry they ask if its ok).
If you do fail a test you get assigned a free tutoring group.
Report Card
Curriculum: A
Location: B-
Cost: A
Financial Aid: A+
Faculty: A
Reputation: A
Technology: A+
Study Space/Library: A
Library technology/Resources: A
Rotations: ?
Social: A-
Hospitals: N/A
Post Grad: ?
Cafeteria Food: N/A
Cafeteria Prices: N/A
Overall Grade: A
If you have any questions please send me a PM Ill be happy to help!
