LMU-DCOM vs Noorda

[johnsonthehopeful]

Hello all! I've been accepted to LMU-DCOM and Noorda and have to pay a deposit by mid-December for both schools. For background, I'm a non-trad from Texas, so both schools are quite a ways from me. I'm also interested in urology after working as a urology CMA/scribe for ~5 years, though I know that will be an uphill battle at any school, let alone a DO school.

LMU-DCOM
Pros

• established program w/ eligibility for governmental financial aid
• the other accepted students I've been in touch with are really friendly and collaborative. We did mock interviews together and everyone has been very supportive of one another
• match list is pretty solid, including a few urology matches several years back
• opportunity for international electives in M4
• can choose between Knoxville and Harrogate, though it's likely I'd go with Knoxville

Cons

• still under heightened monitoring - seems it's not because of the new campus at this point but I'm not sure
• I've heard from some students that turnover has been high recently and that some things have not been handled well
• rotation sites are less than stellar - lots of OOS sites, etc.
• no research opportunities through the school and research is actively discouraged during M1, really will have to find research opportunities on my own
• big class size now that there are two campuses
• I've heard about issues with internet outages, technical difficulties, etc.
• I've also heard that there are cliques in a more significant way than some other schools

Noorda-COM
Pros

• actively research-focused; research is actually encouraged and it seems the school is willing to work with you to ensure you get significant pubs if you want to go for that
• seems to be a bit more diverse (just based on my interview experience; the last class was ~20% URM)
• appears to have a lot of genuine student support. I've mainly spoken to student ambassadors but the students do seem to be happy overall from what I've heard anecdotally again
• Provo is absolutely gorgeous and I love colder weather and doing things outdoors in the mountains (snow-shoeing, skiing, etc.)
• pod learning/no traditional lectures
• M1s took the COMAT and obtained a mean standard score of 188.8 compared to the national mean score of 197.4
• mission includes preparing students who want to apply for competitive residencies (they specifically talk about integrating the osteopathic philosophy into medical specialties)
• cadaver lab
• rotation sites within 35 minutes of campus
• being a new school, it has SOTA facilities (and they're expanding as well)
• scribing while doing rotations in M3 (I see this as a pro because I've learned so much in my scribing experiences, but I don't know if everyone would agree) and M3 rotations are 6 weeks instead of 4
• already had a meeting with the financial aid advisor who explained the opportunities for private loans (they have relationships with 2 lenders right now) and there are also some scholarships (up to 10k max per year, not more as of yet)

Cons

• still in pre-accreditation, and I would only be eligible for federal financial aid for M4
• graded with honors
• haven't graduated a class yet so no match list to look at
• I'm not a member of the LDS church and I know Provo is very LDS-centered. I know there isn't a big nightlife scene or anything but that doesn't bother me. What does concern me a bit is the likelihood that the vast majority of my classmates may be LDS members and that I wouldn't feel as comfortable and our lifestyles wouldn't mesh. I have friends who are LDS members, so it's not some crazy dealbreaker, but I do worry a bit about what the dating scene would even look like for me. Again, I'm closer to 30 and am a woman, so it is on my radar, albeit on the back burner.

Summary: I know that LMU-DCOM should be a no-brainer given that it's more established and is still currently accredited. When I bring my thoughts up to any friends who are in med school, they don't even give me the chance to explain my reasoning for seriously considering Noorda. Is it reasonable to consider Noorda over LMU-DCOM given the points I've made? I'm also happy for any other input on pros/cons for either school. I'm also wondering if anyone knows which one may be a little more non-trad-friendly. Thanks in advance!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[drthedude]

I am going to say Noorda (but LMU is also amazing, congrats!!) and I want to touch on a few points you made:

• Going through Noorda's directory, many of them came from KCU/KCU-Joplin and other prominent DO schools which mattered a ton for me
• The COMLEX comment is correct and the point they were making to that is that their first years are scoring close to the national average without even touching second year material
• Noorda has cadavers which was super important for me
• Curriculum is very very very similar to CalMed which has data
• More of a collaborative enviroment

Feel free to dm me for more!

 

[johnsonthehopeful]

I am going to say Noorda (but LMU is also amazing, congrats!!) and I want to touch on a few points you made:

• Going through Noorda's directory, many of them came from KCU/KCU-Joplin and other prominent DO schools which mattered a ton for me
• The COMLEX comment is correct and the point they were making to that is that their first years are scoring close to the national average without even touching second year material
• Noorda has cadavers which was super important for me
• Curriculum is very very very similar to CalMed which has data
• More of a collaborative enviroment

Feel free to dm me for more!

I didn't know that re: KCU and CalMed. That's helpful for sure, thanks!

 

[yatosmato]

not sure if this would help you, but my partner went to LMU-DCOM and complained about the school a lot. couldn't say a single positive thing about the school or his experience when he graduated and often told me that he would never recommend DCOM to someone he cared about. just from hearing that, if the choice came down between LMU-DCOM and something else for me, I'd personally choose that something else

 

[johnsonthehopeful]

not sure if this would help you, but my partner went to LMU-DCOM and complained about the school a lot. couldn't say a single positive thing about the school or his experience when he graduated and often told me that he would never recommend DCOM to someone he cared about. just from hearing that, if the choice came down between LMU-DCOM and something else for me, I'd personally choose that something else

I appreciate your insight. I've talked to students from both schools and I've definitely heard a lot of negative things about DCOM. But at the same time, it's a safer bet and I understand that. I talked to a current MS4 at DCOM recently who told me there's been a lot of faculty turnover in the past few years but that it seems to be stabilizing now. I felt that was a very honest opinion, so I'm inclined to believe it. So maybe things are getting better now, but it's still concerning for sure. I've also had current students tell me they'd still choose DCOM over a new school that hasn't graduated a class yet. It's definitely a hard decision. Thanks for your comment!

 

[incomingmedstudent2023]

I am currently in the same boat. I was accepted to both of these schools and they are currently my only options. Based off what I have read regarding the school, staff and student experiences my heart is currently leaning towards Noorda. The only things at this time that are of concern to me are the fact that the school is pre-accredited and for that reason we cannot apply to federal loans until MS4 and that there are no match rates at this time. However, given the information from the previous comment about the curriculum being similar to CalMed which has data and the fact that the dean is a COCA inspector himself I truly am not worried about my future should I choose to move forward with Noorda. Noorda at the end of the day has way more pros to me than LMU-DCOM that I think would not only allow me to receive a better education but overall make me a happier medical student. Hope this helps!