need help with dmu vs. nycom

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docstarwars

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hi everyone,

i have been accepted to dmu and nycom. i am really excited, but now comes the hard part of choosing one. i liked both schools, but felt that nycom had better affiliations for rotations, whereas dmu lets you choose from sites around the nation. i am a little nervous about having to set up my own rotations. also, does the "reputation" of a school play a part in residency placement? if so, which school would be better to attend? any input would be greatly appreciated. thank you! :D

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docstarwars -
I am currently finishing up my final year at DMU. Honestly I must say that I have been a little less than satisfied with the quality of education that I have received. I feel that the first two years at DMU were somewhat disorganized and some of the classes were poorly taught. Many past and current students complain about the third and fourth years as well (clinical rotation years). While the school helps you in setting up the majority of your third year rotations, the fourth year is pretty much up to you. That being said, I had very little difficulty setting up my fourth year rotations at very good hospitals around in various states. Overall, I just don't feel like I got my $$$ worth.
On the other hand, Des Moines as a city is relatively inexpensive and quite safe. DMU draws students from all over the nation, so every class is full of interesting and unique individuals. Plus, our OMM department is tough beat.
Ultimately, every med school has it's problems, and I can only comment on DMU. What you get out of med school is what you put into it. Go to the worst med school in the world and work you butt off and you will still come out just fine. Best of luck with your decision!
 
thanks migraineboy! c'mon, there has to be more opinions out there. :wink:
 
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docstarwars:

I know very little about DMU-COM. However, when you refer to that Med. School requiring students to relocate several times for rotations, my best choice would immediately be NYCOM.

NYCOM has its terrible side: huge class size; dubious APEP program; an administration that CANNOT satisfy all students because of the huge class size; the education is BRUTAL, and more difficult than it needs to be: we take some quite unnecessary classes during our 2nd year at NYCOM that neither prepares us for the first-step of the Board exam (either exam) nor helps us much on rotations. These course burden the students to a sometimes unbearable degree, leaving the curriculum as a significant aspect of NYCOM that needs improvement.

NYCOM has exceptional 3rd and 4th year options: the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine Educational Consortium (NYCOMEC) is probably the most established in the Osteopathic profession, and results in many students (out of the monstrous graduating classes) matching into very glamorous specialties; and at very prestigious places.

Good luck.
 
I don't think that I would want to deal with a class the size of NYCOM. All the prestige and all the specialties can be obtained anywhere if you work hard. I have friends at DMU and they were very pleased with their education and rotation opportunities. You generally relocate only once unless you choose to get your face seen all over. There are advantages to doing that as well, you have a much better chance of getting a residency somewhere you have rotated. So, unless you want to be stuck in expensive, overpopulated, too large class, with "prestige" NYCOM I'd go with DMU. When I made my decision where to go I thought that if I was paying that much, every professor should know me by name and have plenty of time for me. You will not get that at NYCOM.
 
I tend to agree with the above poster, although I've never heard a NYCOM student complain that they don't have adequate access to professors, despite the fact that there are roughly 10-billion students at NYCOM at any given time. But, from what I hear, personal attention is something you have to actively seek.

However, NYCOM's class of 2006 (and all those thereafter) will be 320 students, the largest in the country (and probably North America). I personally can't imagine what that's going to be like. Remember, NYCOM is housed in three main buildings, and none of them are particularly cavernous. There are going to be some tight quarters with 640 students at a time spread between 3 medium-sized buildings. Worse yet is the fact that it's not only medical students in there; NYIT has PT, OT, PA, nursing, even undergrad anatomy students roaming around that little corner of the campus. Let's hope there's never a fire on campus--yikes!

So, when it comes down to DMU vs NYCOM, I say: go to PCOM :)
 
thanks to all who replied. i am definitely giving this matter some thought! :p
 
i had the same acceptances too - to DMU and NYCOM. i chose nycom because of its reputation for its toughness in the first 2 years and excellence in rotations. although i am only a second year, i have not been let down. it has been tough, but with our new curriculum, i think learning the material has been a lot easier. at the time i was accepted, dmu had weekly exams, and i thought nycom's block schedule was better for me. also, the amount of hospitals we are affliated with is amazing! you can pick and chose any sort of environment - from rural to the big NYC! which brings up another point - i am a city girl. another reason why i chose nycom was because of its location. personally, there is no comparison between NYC and DM. yes, i know i am all the way out here in long island and not in NYC and i have to deal with the long island accents and big hair, but with so many weekends you have off, it's really easy to hitch a train into the big apple and see a broadway play or visit a museum. so don't just base it on the school itself. think about the environment you'll be living in as well. that also plays into your happiness.
 
NYCOM is 35 minutes away from New York City, and Long Island is about as urban as a suburb gets. Describing it as being "tucked away" is a little bizzare.
 
Yes, NYCOM is 35 minutes from manhattan without traffic, but good luck with that especially on the LIE. plus, the train ride in from here is about 1 hr and 15 min, due to the transfers. i'm sorry if i made the impression that long island is so far from everything, but where i live in glen cove, i do feel like that. but there are alot of nice places to live in long island where it really would only take 35 minutes by train to get into the city.
 
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