Hi guys, I am lucky to have a chance to pick between these two schools, and I am a little torn apart about which one to go with. I searched for similar threats but the most recently was from 08. Just wondering if there is any new insights from everyone since then. I am not from WV so I do realize how expensive it is, but other than that, what else can you suggest? Thanks!
LMU-DCOM or WVSOM
- Thread starter bz1024
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LMU-DCOM has been getting killer reviews from people who have interviewed there. As far as making the decision between the two, just list out all the qualities that are important to you and see how each school fares in those categories.
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LMUDCOM is a very new school - I'm not saying its bad, their first class had a pretty good match last year and current students seem happy with their choice. I don't know what their clinical rotations are like but considering that may help you decide.
WVSOM is an older school with a solid reputation and their students consistently do well in the match every year. Students like their clinical rotations and you have freedoms to go anywhere you want out of state your fourth year.
I would go with WVSOM but you should also consider cost, if one is significantly cheaper than the other for you go with the cheapest - neither school is so much better than the other to justify an extra $100k in debt.
Good luck!
Also, I was accepted at WVSOM and turned down an interview at LMDCOM. Cost and reputation made WVSOM a no brainer - I'm a WV resident so was significantly cheaper.
WVSOM is an older school with a solid reputation and their students consistently do well in the match every year. Students like their clinical rotations and you have freedoms to go anywhere you want out of state your fourth year.
I would go with WVSOM but you should also consider cost, if one is significantly cheaper than the other for you go with the cheapest - neither school is so much better than the other to justify an extra $100k in debt.
Good luck!
Also, I was accepted at WVSOM and turned down an interview at LMDCOM. Cost and reputation made WVSOM a no brainer - I'm a WV resident so was significantly cheaper.
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Don't read this as a guy who is going to DCOM this year... read this as a guy with some fiscal intelligence.
There is absolutely no school in the world worth an additional ~$100,000, after interest, in student debt.
I do not mean that as a jab at WVSOM. It's a great school with a great history and for in-state students it's an absolute no brainer. I applied and was invited for an interview there myself. Before withdrawing my application I asked WVSOM residents and attendings in my area if there was anything special about WVSOM that would warrant an additionall 100k in debt. They all said exactly what I told you above.
At the end of four years you have a job. Granted, it's more than a job to all of us but in financial terms... it's a job. Just like other jobs it will net you a paycheck twice a month. If you tack on an additional $100k in debt, after interest, you have the potential to put yourself in a tight situation.
My own primary care physician, who is an in-state alum from WVSOM, spoke very highly of them but said that Medicare and insurance companies are not going to reimburse me at a higher rate because I went to WVSOM instead of DCOM.
All of that combined with the great things that DCOM has going on made it an easy decision for me to pull my app from WVSOM and pay my deposit at DCOM.
It's a tough decision to make but I couldn't justify the expense. Good luck!
[EDIT]:
You asked about other things... I can't really compare WVSOM and DCOM but I can tell you some things. At DCOM in third and fourth year you will have tremendous flexibility for rotation sites. Basically six months out of every year you're doing rotations at DCOM core sites and the other six months of every year you can go wherever you want. Just takes a little time to set the rotation up (if it hasn't been setup already - they maintain a list of preceptors).
DCOM is going to full blown dissection for our anatomy class. I'm not sure if WVSOM is dissection or prosection. This can be a pro and con depending on how you look at it. Certainly, dissection will require much more time but if you're a hands on learner it will prove beneficial. DCOM is also opening the new building for our class so we'll have brand new facilities on top of the already existing facilities which are impressive by most any measure.
Our curriculum is changing somewhat this coming year to a modified body systems approach. Instead of studying each system independently we will have some overlap. Thus, conditions which have components in both renal and cardio, for example, would be covered within the same time frame instead of six months apart. To me this makes a lot of sense.
DCOM has a lot of perks otherwise that I'm not sure if WVSOM has. Of course DCOM gives you the laptop which isn't really as big a deal as many people make it seem (what's $1300 in the long run?). In the past few years DCOM has allowed students to take time off for OMED and other conferences and paid for their rooms as long as they get themselves there. I'm sure this will continue with Dean Stowers being the AOA President during our first year. That brings up a potential negative - none of us know how involved he will be since his duties at AOA may take him away from campus a lot. However, most agree that the exposure it gives the school is worth it... it may help us with setting up rotation sites our third and fourth year since our name would presumably be better known.
The WVSOM and DCOM areas are very similar so there's no real stark difference there. You're pretty rural whichever way you go. It does seem to me that being rural at DCOM is a little different, however, because of the national park system so if the outdoors is your thing it seems more established around DCOM. You're also about an hour away from Knoxville which has tremendous nightlife, shopping, and a major airport hub for Delta and American Airlines.
I know that's pretty one sided. Hopefully someone from WVSOM can pop in and give you more info on some of the similar topics for them.
There is absolutely no school in the world worth an additional ~$100,000, after interest, in student debt.
I do not mean that as a jab at WVSOM. It's a great school with a great history and for in-state students it's an absolute no brainer. I applied and was invited for an interview there myself. Before withdrawing my application I asked WVSOM residents and attendings in my area if there was anything special about WVSOM that would warrant an additionall 100k in debt. They all said exactly what I told you above.
At the end of four years you have a job. Granted, it's more than a job to all of us but in financial terms... it's a job. Just like other jobs it will net you a paycheck twice a month. If you tack on an additional $100k in debt, after interest, you have the potential to put yourself in a tight situation.
My own primary care physician, who is an in-state alum from WVSOM, spoke very highly of them but said that Medicare and insurance companies are not going to reimburse me at a higher rate because I went to WVSOM instead of DCOM.
All of that combined with the great things that DCOM has going on made it an easy decision for me to pull my app from WVSOM and pay my deposit at DCOM.
It's a tough decision to make but I couldn't justify the expense. Good luck!
[EDIT]:
You asked about other things... I can't really compare WVSOM and DCOM but I can tell you some things. At DCOM in third and fourth year you will have tremendous flexibility for rotation sites. Basically six months out of every year you're doing rotations at DCOM core sites and the other six months of every year you can go wherever you want. Just takes a little time to set the rotation up (if it hasn't been setup already - they maintain a list of preceptors).
DCOM is going to full blown dissection for our anatomy class. I'm not sure if WVSOM is dissection or prosection. This can be a pro and con depending on how you look at it. Certainly, dissection will require much more time but if you're a hands on learner it will prove beneficial. DCOM is also opening the new building for our class so we'll have brand new facilities on top of the already existing facilities which are impressive by most any measure.
Our curriculum is changing somewhat this coming year to a modified body systems approach. Instead of studying each system independently we will have some overlap. Thus, conditions which have components in both renal and cardio, for example, would be covered within the same time frame instead of six months apart. To me this makes a lot of sense.
DCOM has a lot of perks otherwise that I'm not sure if WVSOM has. Of course DCOM gives you the laptop which isn't really as big a deal as many people make it seem (what's $1300 in the long run?). In the past few years DCOM has allowed students to take time off for OMED and other conferences and paid for their rooms as long as they get themselves there. I'm sure this will continue with Dean Stowers being the AOA President during our first year. That brings up a potential negative - none of us know how involved he will be since his duties at AOA may take him away from campus a lot. However, most agree that the exposure it gives the school is worth it... it may help us with setting up rotation sites our third and fourth year since our name would presumably be better known.
The WVSOM and DCOM areas are very similar so there's no real stark difference there. You're pretty rural whichever way you go. It does seem to me that being rural at DCOM is a little different, however, because of the national park system so if the outdoors is your thing it seems more established around DCOM. You're also about an hour away from Knoxville which has tremendous nightlife, shopping, and a major airport hub for Delta and American Airlines.
I know that's pretty one sided. Hopefully someone from WVSOM can pop in and give you more info on some of the similar topics for them.
Last edited:
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I'm about to graduate from WVSOM. The major problem I have with WVSOM, and probably most medical schools is the cost of out-of-state tuition. You cannot become resident of WV when you are a student. You are forced to pay this ridiculous tuition the entire time. I question, everyday, why I should pay 45 grand or more a year when the only contact I have with WVSOM is through my SWC (state-wide-campus) administrators, during my clinical years (3 and 4), which is minimal. I don't believe the education I get is worth the expense. Sure, WVSOM is listed by US. NEWS at # 12 for primary care, however they fail to mention it is listed as #5 for medical schools that lead to the highest debt (http://www.usnews.com/education/bes.../14/10-medical-schools-that-lead-to-most-debt). This is a national trend as well with student debt recently surpassing credit card debt nation-wide. I'm upset about this, this is a high burden, and when I took the tour of WVSOM, they argue "well you're going to be a doctor so you can afford it." They also mentioned "no one has defaulted on their loans yet" That's an absurd argument and I should of taken it as a warning sign! You will be a slave to your debt for several years. This trend cannot continue, and I expect a large economic backlash in the future, similar to the 2008 recession. Same thing for medicine as a whole.
I should also mention that WVSOM was #8 for primary care when I first attended, and has fallen to 12. Looking at the match list in my class (2012), it's obvious that people aren't as interested in primary care as they used to be, when comparing present to past match lists. I have looked at them the past 4 years, and there are more specialties matched every year. WVSOM's mission is to increase rural physicians in primary care, they are doing the opposite with their high debt loads.This provides a higher incentive to pursue a specialty which guarantees a higher income. And usually that will require an out of state residency. I'm near furious about this situation. I should of seen it coming, but how can you truly know what you want to do in life until you actually are doing it for a sustained period of time? Shadowing a doctor doesn't give you the same understanding as being a doctor. I was initially naive but I am fully aware now.
Honestly, I love my class, and there are great people at WVSOM working for the students, on a beautiful campus, but this is overshadowed by the financial burdens that follow graduation. WVSOM may not be a for profit school, but they sure seem to behave that way, always erecting new buildings and installing these ridiculously expensive robots, that we hardly use, and barely get any sort of educational value out of. They use these as a key selling point for WVSOM. It's purely to entice new applicants. You may learn how to intubate, or run an ACLS code but you forget it all by the time you enter your rotations and have to re-certify anyways. I don't think WVSOM prepares you too well for your 3rd and 4th year rotations. I think the students prepare themselves adequately, and nearly autonomously. With the mandatory stay in WV for your 3rd year requirements, it hurts your chances of establishing your candidacy for residency at your hospital of choice, which likely wont be in West Virginia, due to lack of residency programs in the state.
I think WVSOM is only reasonable for students who are already WV residents, would like to stay close to home, but are without a doubt, 100% sure they want to pursue primary care in West Virginia. This is somewhat paradoxical as you cannot be 100% sure until you are out there doing rotations, experiencing the job itself. Most of us have no idea what specialty we want to pursue when we go into medical school. We figure that out in our 3rd, and often 4th year. Honestly I think a lot of us chose WVSOM because we didn't get accepted elsewhere, or because the facilities are nice. I was accepted to a few other schools LECOM, TEMPLE in PA, I should of stayed there, but I was enticed by the facilities and was initially pursuing a Navy scholarship ( I did 4 years prior). The facilities are nice but this really only matters in the short, short term. My advice to prospective students is take WVSOM's mission very seriously, as they reduce your chances of going anywhere else but WV. Retake the MCAT, get a better score, go to someplace you'd like to end up in life. Feel like you have to go somewhere THIS year? take the year off, get a job, do some research, or something to boost your application, devote a solid 2 months to the MCAT, doing practice questions and go somewhere else. You've got plenty of time. WVSOM will typically accept a lower MCAT, but don't use this to get your foot in the door to becoming a doctor, sure that will work, but it will be much easier if you just retake the MCAT, and wait it out. Unless you want to stay in WV, and do primary care, as their mission states. Dont make the same mistake I did! Many of us thought, "well we'll get the degree and go somewhere else afterwards," This works, and many many of us did just that, but it's more difficult when you're forced to stay in WV your entire 3rd year (minus your few electives) I mean all of this from my heart, and I hope it helps. If you're already going there, you'll be fine, but if you're a prospective student, think carefully.
Seems like most educational institutions just take advantage of people's hopes and dreams to make a dollar these days. This kind of crap is only driving up the cost of healthcare.
I should also mention that WVSOM was #8 for primary care when I first attended, and has fallen to 12. Looking at the match list in my class (2012), it's obvious that people aren't as interested in primary care as they used to be, when comparing present to past match lists. I have looked at them the past 4 years, and there are more specialties matched every year. WVSOM's mission is to increase rural physicians in primary care, they are doing the opposite with their high debt loads.This provides a higher incentive to pursue a specialty which guarantees a higher income. And usually that will require an out of state residency. I'm near furious about this situation. I should of seen it coming, but how can you truly know what you want to do in life until you actually are doing it for a sustained period of time? Shadowing a doctor doesn't give you the same understanding as being a doctor. I was initially naive but I am fully aware now.
Honestly, I love my class, and there are great people at WVSOM working for the students, on a beautiful campus, but this is overshadowed by the financial burdens that follow graduation. WVSOM may not be a for profit school, but they sure seem to behave that way, always erecting new buildings and installing these ridiculously expensive robots, that we hardly use, and barely get any sort of educational value out of. They use these as a key selling point for WVSOM. It's purely to entice new applicants. You may learn how to intubate, or run an ACLS code but you forget it all by the time you enter your rotations and have to re-certify anyways. I don't think WVSOM prepares you too well for your 3rd and 4th year rotations. I think the students prepare themselves adequately, and nearly autonomously. With the mandatory stay in WV for your 3rd year requirements, it hurts your chances of establishing your candidacy for residency at your hospital of choice, which likely wont be in West Virginia, due to lack of residency programs in the state.
I think WVSOM is only reasonable for students who are already WV residents, would like to stay close to home, but are without a doubt, 100% sure they want to pursue primary care in West Virginia. This is somewhat paradoxical as you cannot be 100% sure until you are out there doing rotations, experiencing the job itself. Most of us have no idea what specialty we want to pursue when we go into medical school. We figure that out in our 3rd, and often 4th year. Honestly I think a lot of us chose WVSOM because we didn't get accepted elsewhere, or because the facilities are nice. I was accepted to a few other schools LECOM, TEMPLE in PA, I should of stayed there, but I was enticed by the facilities and was initially pursuing a Navy scholarship ( I did 4 years prior). The facilities are nice but this really only matters in the short, short term. My advice to prospective students is take WVSOM's mission very seriously, as they reduce your chances of going anywhere else but WV. Retake the MCAT, get a better score, go to someplace you'd like to end up in life. Feel like you have to go somewhere THIS year? take the year off, get a job, do some research, or something to boost your application, devote a solid 2 months to the MCAT, doing practice questions and go somewhere else. You've got plenty of time. WVSOM will typically accept a lower MCAT, but don't use this to get your foot in the door to becoming a doctor, sure that will work, but it will be much easier if you just retake the MCAT, and wait it out. Unless you want to stay in WV, and do primary care, as their mission states. Dont make the same mistake I did! Many of us thought, "well we'll get the degree and go somewhere else afterwards," This works, and many many of us did just that, but it's more difficult when you're forced to stay in WV your entire 3rd year (minus your few electives) I mean all of this from my heart, and I hope it helps. If you're already going there, you'll be fine, but if you're a prospective student, think carefully.
Seems like most educational institutions just take advantage of people's hopes and dreams to make a dollar these days. This kind of crap is only driving up the cost of healthcare.
WOW, thank you very much for the response. I was never expecting something like this from a WVSOM student. Thanks for the honesty. The reason I was even considering WVSOM was because of their reputation and the ridiculous campus/facilities. When I toured the campus, I was thoroughly impressed by the simulation lab/robots and the clinics. They said that the students over there get really early hands-on experience with their own (robert??) clinic.
DCOM just published their matching stats for their 2012 class, and honestly it was pretty impressive. They had the 4th highest matching rate in the nation, trailing after some big names (Michigan, etc). Also, I was impressed by the facilites on DCOM campus as well, especially the new facility they are building right now. I think I now have a different idea of what I want to do. I just can't justify the 50 grant tuition for oos students.
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I know it is an old thread, but I went ahead and moved it to the Help Me Decide: School X vs Y subsection.
premedDO1213
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I'm kinda in this position right now. Would any of you choose LMU-DCOM over WVSOM or vice versa?
