Need serious help deciding if I should attend these interviews or not

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CCmetal94

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So far I have interviews at KCOM, CUSOM, LMU-DCOM, LECOM, and NYIT (Arkansas State campus). Unfortunately due to financial trouble I don't think I can attend all of these. I know forgoing an interview can hurt my chances but I just don't make enough money and my parents helped a little but they can no longer.

Anyway I am for sure going to KCOM and CUSOM. I've already got flights booked and places to stay set up. As of now I can only afford to pick one other interview. I don't know which one. NYIT in Ark is only a 4 hour drive and LMU and LECOM would require me to buy a plane ticket. What do you guys think I should do? I feel that I have a good shot of acceptance at CUSOM and NYIT since they are newer, and I really want to just lock down one acceptance. Also I'm a MO resident so going to KCOM or KCU is my top choice.


my stats are 502 (balanced), 3.63c and 3.67s.

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If I were in your position, I would def do the drive to NYIT and as far as the other two go, I would choose LMU over LECOM. I personally know one student who did well at LMU and she ended up with a great residency in a desirable location in the Midwest. I think you should channel your efforts into getting into KCOM, since it is well established and fairly close by. Also, KCU is just now starting to gain steam in their selection process, so hope is far from lost there. You're competitive for them GPA-wise, and I was told by the admissions asst director that if you're around their averages in two categories, you can even be slightly below their minimum in the other and stand a chance at getting in. So I'd say you have a chance there as well. Good luck!
 
So far I have interviews at KCOM, CUSOM, LMU-DCOM, LECOM, and NYIT (Arkansas State campus). Unfortunately due to financial trouble I don't think I can attend all of these. I know forgoing an interview can hurt my chances but I just don't make enough money and my parents helped a little but they can no longer.

Anyway I am for sure going to KCOM and CUSOM. I've already got flights booked and places to stay set up. As of now I can only afford to pick one other interview. I don't know which one. NYIT in Ark is only a 4 hour drive and LMU and LECOM would require me to buy a plane ticket. What do you guys think I should do? I feel that I have a good shot of acceptance at CUSOM and NYIT since they are newer, and I really want to just lock down one acceptance. Also I'm a MO resident so going to KCOM or KCU is my top choice.


my stats are 502 (balanced), 3.63c and 3.67s.
Nice problem to have... My opinion, NYIT Ark is over priced, LMU has poor clinical rotations in years 3 & 4, and with an increased student enrollment, the problem will only get worse. LECOM is one of the least expensive DO schools and is worth a look. Yeah, some people on this site say you get what you pay for, but it is worth checking out.
 
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If I were in your position, I would def do the drive to NYIT and as far as the other two go, I would choose LMU over LECOM. I personally know one student who did well at LMU and she ended up with a great residency in a desirable location in the Midwest. I think you should channel your efforts into getting into KCOM, since it is well established and fairly close by. Also, KCU is just now starting to gain steam in their selection process, so hope is far from lost there. You're competitive for them GPA-wise, and I was told by the admissions asst director that if you're around their averages in two categories, you can even be slightly below their minimum in the other and stand a chance at getting in. So I'd say you have a chance there as well. Good luck!
Thank you! I have friends at KCOM that say I should get in, but still this process is such a crap shoot. Still have fingers crossed for KCU too.
 
Nice problem to have... My opinion, NYIT Ark is over priced, LMU has poor clinical rotations in years 3 & 4, and with an increased student enrollment, the problem will only get worse. LECOM is one of the least expensive DO schools and is worth a look. Yeah, some people on this site say you get what you pay for, but it is worth checking out.

Yeah I have nothing against LECOM but right now flights are looking to be around $400 and I'd still have to find a place to stay. That interview would be by far the most expensive for me (honestly don't even know if I could pay for it at all) and I don't want to be completely drained financially bc im still waiting to hear back from other schools I'm competitive at and would much rather attend.
 
Can you schedule LECOM near your cusom interview? I interviewed at seton hill and then left that interview and drove to NC to interview at cusom the next day. I was pretty tired from doing this though.


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Nice problem to have... My opinion, NYIT Ark is over priced, LMU has poor clinical rotations in years 3 & 4, and with an increased student enrollment, the problem will only get worse. LECOM is one of the least expensive DO schools and is worth a look. Yeah, some people on this site say you get what you pay for, but it is worth checking out.

Not true. A current student at LMU made a post on here saying that since then they have updated their current rotation list with proof. I don't have a link though.

The school isn't so crappy that it would increase students to the point that not everyone was able to attend a rotation.

That is some Caribbean grade **** there, a U.S. Medical school would lose accreditation over that.


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Not true. A current student at LMU made a post on here saying that since then they have updated their current rotation list with proof. I don't have a link though.

The school isn't so crappy that it would increase students to the point that not everyone was able to attend a rotation.

That is some Caribbean grade **** there, a U.S. Medical school would lose accreditation over that.


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If LMU is your only acceptance then be happy to attend and don't look back. However, if you are sitting on multiple acceptances, then you need to be an astute consumer since there is such a wide variability in DO school's tuition, class attendance policies, grading and quality of clinical rotations. Take the time to read through the sub-forum on this site for current DO students. Current students there lament about the quality of LMU's clinical rotations, and even alumni of that school chime in indicating that they are surprised that things have not improved since they were students there. You need to base your decision to attend LMU on more than one current students post you saw somewhere.
 
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Not true. A current student at LMU made a post on here saying that since then they have updated their current rotation list with proof. I don't have a link though.

The school isn't so crappy that it would increase students to the point that not everyone was able to attend a rotation.

That is some Caribbean grade **** there, a U.S. Medical school would lose accreditation over that.


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They haven't really changed, look at the number of beds at some of their core sites. Sorry but doing rotations at hospital with ~100 beds or less is not a good rotation, even worse if it is just some clinic.

Of course everyone gets a rotation, but just having one isn't good enough. No medical student should be doing their surgery rotation at an outpatient surgery center but that is the case at a lot of these places unfortunately, or IM at an outpatient clinic with what equates to shadowing. They should not have increased their class size. Honestly they should have a class size of 100 or less.

Like I said in another post, if this is your only acceptance then go gladly, but if you have other acceptances then you have to critically analyze the pros and cons of each one without having rose colored glasses on.
 
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They haven't really changed, look at the number of beds at some of their core sites. Sorry but doing rotations at hospital with ~100 beds or less is not a good rotation, even worse if it is just some clinic.

Of course everyone gets a rotation, but just having one isn't good enough. No medical student should be doing their surgery rotation at an outpatient surgery center but that is the case at a lot of these places unfortunately, or IM at an outpatient clinic with what equates to shadowing. They should not have increased their class size. Honestly they should have a class size of 100 or less.

Like I said in another post, if this is your only acceptance then go gladly, but if you have other acceptances then you have to critically analyze the pros and cons of each one without having rose colored glasses on.

Aren't most DO schools this way? Like everyone complains about DO rotations. I thought bad rotations were just part of it


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The school isn't so crappy that it would increase students to the point that not everyone was able to attend a rotation.

That is some Caribbean grade **** there, a U.S. Medical school would lose accreditation over that.


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That's kinda why everyone on these boards is so critical of LMU. Same thing with LUCOM, LECOM-B, or when a branch campus opens up like VCOM-Auburn that will move their students 2 states away to precept at a doctors office for a core rotation.

Wanna end DO discrimination? Then the powers that be need to stop accrediting schools where students only succeed in spite of their education. That would be the best step in the right direction. Instead, they tend to go the opposite direction. To make matters worse, if you go out of your way to attend a "better" school, you get lumped in with the rest.

Don't get me wrong, get choosy when you have choices. But these criticisms are not unfounded. People just want to be proud of their degree.




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So a follow up on this. I recently received an interview invite for ACOM. I have a friend who goes there that would be willing to let me stay with him. So I am likely going to skip out on the LECOM and LMU-DCOM interviews and attend KCOM, ACOM, CUSOM, and NYIT(ark). Thanks for the advice.
 
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OP, I would choose some to attend now and ask the schools if you can schedule your interviews at the other schools later in the cycle because of financial strain right now. Then they will offer those spots to someone now. And it won't be disingenuous if you get an acceptance between now and then (when you scheduled for), because they would rather you not interview if you won't go there anyway. Then they will give that interview spot later in the cycle to someone truly desperate for it.
 
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