NOVA or COMP

[DoctorS]

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Hi! i was all ready to start WesternU in pomona when today i found out that i got into NOVA (i was on the waiting list). I will appreciate any suggestion or pros and cons for each school.

Thankyou.

 

[DO it right]

Hi! i was all ready to start WesternU in pomona when today i found out that i got into NOVA (i was on the waiting list). I will appreciate any suggestion or pros and cons for each school.

Thankyou.

about NOVA, its a good school, looks great, students were happy and all that stuff...but I really wanted to go to a school that cared about it students, so i rejected their offer. I live 30 min from COMP, and I don't like Pomona at all..so yea.. Good luck.

 

[Dr. Don]

COMP, do you want to wear a uniform to school everyday? then COMP it is....see you next year! good luck!

 

[superflyDO]

about NOVA, its a good school, looks great, students were happy and all that stuff...but I really wanted to go to a school that cared about it students, so i rejected their offer. I live 30 min from COMP, and I don't like Pomona at all..so yea.. Good luck.

If caring for students is a huge thing, you did the right thing for rejecting COMP's offer. Kinda sucks that you have to move when COMP is so close to you but of all my interviews, Des Moines students seemed the happiest. I'd go there if it weren't in Des Moines but I met several from California who were very happy and adjusted to weather and "culture" change from L.A. Good luck there 👍

To the OP, Nova seems like a very strong program if you are not tied to the California area and don't mind wearing scrubs or business atire to class everyday... 👍

 

[DO it right]

If caring for students is a huge thing, you did the right thing for rejecting COMP's offer. Kinda sucks that you have to move when COMP is so close to you but of all my interviews, Des Moines students seemed the happiest. I'd go there if it weren't in Des Moines but I met several from California who were very happy and adjusted to weather and "culture" change from L.A. Good luck there 👍

To the OP, Nova seems like a very strong program if you are not tied to the California area and don't mind wearing scrubs or business atire to class everyday... 👍

Thanks..I hear you on the COMP issue. I think they have a really strong program, too bad that students are not the primary focus. I'll tell you how DMU is next summer! 😀 Good luck at NYCOM

 

[DoctorDoogie4]

Hi! i was all ready to start WesternU in pomona when today i found out that i got into NOVA (i was on the waiting list). I will appreciate any suggestion or pros and cons for each school.

Thankyou.

I can't say much about the program at Western University. However, I can say some things regarding NSUCOM since I have completed my first two years there. NSUCOM is a good school. Great location, good environment. The students there are friendly and willing to help each other. However, the only knack that I have against NSUCOM is the attendance policy. Dress code is not a big issue. Just roll out of bed in your scrubs and go to class. Going back to the attendance policy, we are one of the few schools across the coutnry that has an attendance policy that is enforced. This will kind of hinder your studies if you are like me, a person that goes at his own pace. However, if you need structure, the attendance policy is alright. Personally, I don't like sitting in lecture for at least 6 hours a day.

As for Western, I don't know much about the school. Any medical school is a good medical school. What you put in is what you get. In my theory of deciding of which medical school to go to, I would put these factors into your consideration....

1. Tuition. Go to the cheapest medical school possible. I hate loans!! Tuition at NSUCOM for out of state students jumped up to 31,500.

2. Preparation and Percent Passing Boards on their FIRST try. This is important becuase many residency programs will look at your board scores. At NSUCOM, board scores are up in the air. No one really knows how well we do. We will see next week.

3. Clinical Rotations. Make sure they have a solid rotation schedule. There are some schools that like to send their students all over the country and/or state. Some people like to travel and explore new opportunities while others don't. Also, make sure they rotations are solid. At NSUCOM, the rotation system is fairly hospital. Of the 9 or so rotation sites, I would say 7 are very solid. So the chances of getting a good rotation spot is good. Find out how many elective months you can do and what are the restrictions regarding the elective months. These are your months to shine to the residency programs you may want to attend.

 

[superflyDO]

I can't say much about the program at Western University. However, I can say some things regarding NSUCOM since I have completed my first two years there. NSUCOM is a good school. Great location, good environment. The students there are friendly and willing to help each other. However, the only knack that I have against NSUCOM is the attendance policy. Dress code is not a big issue. Just roll out of bed in your scrubs and go to class. Going back to the attendance policy, we are one of the few schools across the coutnry that has an attendance policy that is enforced. This will kind of hinder your studies if you are like me, a person that goes at his own pace. However, if you need structure, the attendance policy is alright. Personally, I don't like sitting in lecture for at least 6 hours a day.

As for Western, I don't know much about the school. Any medical school is a good medical school. What you put in is what you get. In my theory of deciding of which medical school to go to, I would put these factors into your consideration....

1. Tuition. Go to the cheapest medical school possible. I hate loans!! Tuition at NSUCOM for out of state students jumped up to 31,500.

2. Preparation and Percent Passing Boards on their FIRST try. This is important becuase many residency programs will look at your board scores. At NSUCOM, board scores are up in the air. No one really knows how well we do. We will see next week.

3. Clinical Rotations. Make sure they have a solid rotation schedule. There are some schools that like to send their students all over the country and/or state. Some people like to travel and explore new opportunities while others don't. Also, make sure they rotations are solid. At NSUCOM, the rotation system is fairly hospital. Of the 9 or so rotation sites, I would say 7 are very solid. So the chances of getting a good rotation spot is good. Find out how many elective months you can do and what are the restrictions regarding the elective months. These are your months to shine to the residency programs you may want to attend.

If you will be factoring in DoctorDoogie's list - here is what I gathered for COMP:
1. Tuition. Go to the cheapest medical school possible. I hate loans!! Tuition at NSUCOM for out of state students jumped up to 31,500. COMP is $35,000+
2. Preparation and Percent Passing Boards on their FIRST try. This is important becuase many residency programs will look at your board scores. At NSUCOM, board scores are up in the air. No one really knows how well we do. We will see next week. Not sure how many people actually pass the first time, but I do know attrition is pretty high at COMP so you need to factor that in as well (not everybody gets to take the exam)
3. Clinical Rotations. Make sure they have a solid rotation schedule. There are some schools that like to send their students all over the country and/or state. Some people like to travel and explore new opportunities while others don't. Also, make sure they rotations are solid. At NSUCOM, the rotation system is fairly hospital. Of the 9 or so rotation sites, I would say 7 are very solid. So the chances of getting a good rotation spot is good. Find out how many elective months you can do and what are the restrictions regarding the elective months. These are your months to shine to the residency programs you may want to attend I hear from students that COMP has some solid rotation sites and some that are just "ok"... Some earlier posts on here mentioned that your electives will be limited to 2 per specialty so you can't really "shine" at too many places you'd like to match at.

 

[me454555]

Superfly,

As a 2nd year in comp I'll comment on some of those issues

1) Attrition rate - it really isn't any worse than any other school, they just don't have the 5 year plan that other schools have. You gotta realize that >80% of us make it through and you really shouldn't be worried about failing no matter what school you go to

2) Rotations - The rotations at COMP look pretty good. We have some very strong hospitals in our network and I can't say I am unhappy w/my schedule at all.

Here's 2 factors you should think about that you might not have considered

1) What type of curriculum do you want? I'd personally want one that had as little class time as possible b/c most of the studying gets done away from the classroom anyway. PBL or ISP programs might be something to look at. I'd be very wary of a place that forces you to go to every class b/c theres a lot of hours in class and you may find your time is better spent in the library or somewhere else. Even if you do decide to go to all the classes, it is nice to have the option to skip whenever you need it.

2) Where do you want to do your residency? By going to hospitals in the area you want to do your residency, you'll get a chance to meet some of the docs that can help you get to where you want to be

 

[DoctorDoogie4]

Superfly,

As a 2nd year in comp I'll comment on some of those issues

1) Attrition rate - it really isn't any worse than any other school, they just don't have the 5 year plan that other schools have. You gotta realize that >80% of us make it through and you really shouldn't be worried about failing no matter what school you go to

2) Rotations - The rotations at COMP look pretty good. We have some very strong hospitals in our network and I can't say I am unhappy w/my schedule at all.

Here's 2 factors you should think about that you might not have considered

1) What type of curriculum do you want? I'd personally want one that had as little class time as possible b/c most of the studying gets done away from the classroom anyway. PBL or ISP programs might be something to look at. I'd be very wary of a place that forces you to go to every class b/c theres a lot of hours in class and you may find your time is better spent in the library or somewhere else. Even if you do decide to go to all the classes, it is nice to have the option to skip whenever you need it.

2) Where do you want to do your residency? By going to hospitals in the area you want to do your residency, you'll get a chance to meet some of the docs that can help you get to where you want to be

If you want to practice in California, then I suggest you stay at Western. I concur with the previous poster's statement on this issue.

As for the hours spent wisely, there are some lecture hours at NSUCOM that was horrific. Yet, you had to sit through those lectures because of the mandatory attendance policy. Furthermore, there is no process of where you can select which hours you want to attend. For example.....

If you have Renal System Lecture from 8 AM to 12PM, you have to scan in no later than 8:20 AM to be accounted for the 8 AM to 12 PM block. Also, you are "required" to stay for those hours. As far as I know, there is no system where you can swipe in at 8 AM and then possibly swipe out at 10 AM and still be counted for 2/4 hours for class you did attend. There is rumors that this will change soon hopefully. However, it's just rumors and you know how those go.

As for the learning styles, there is only one "TracK' at NSUCOM. It's straight lecture. There is no PBL track. However, they have begun to integrate some of the ideas of PBL into the traditional track during your second year. You will be required to meet with a group of your peers and a facilitator to discuss a case step by step, from diagnosis to treatment, during each of your systems. It was great. Taught us how to integrate our classroom knowledge with practical setting.

 

[HoodyHoo]

If you want to practice in California, then I suggest you stay at Western. I concur with the previous poster's statement on this issue.

As for the hours spent wisely, there are some lecture hours at NSUCOM that was horrific. Yet, you had to sit through those lectures because of the mandatory attendance policy. Furthermore, there is no process of where you can select which hours you want to attend. For example.....

If you have Renal System Lecture from 8 AM to 12PM, you have to scan in no later than 8:20 AM to be accounted for the 8 AM to 12 PM block. Also, you are "required" to stay for those hours. As far as I know, there is no system where you can swipe in at 8 AM and then possibly swipe out at 10 AM and still be counted for 2/4 hours for class you did attend. There is rumors that this will change soon hopefully. However, it's just rumors and you know how those go.

As for the learning styles, there is only one "TracK' at NSUCOM. It's straight lecture. There is no PBL track. However, they have begun to integrate some of the ideas of PBL into the traditional track during your second year. You will be required to meet with a group of your peers and a facilitator to discuss a case step by step, from diagnosis to treatment, during each of your systems. It was great. Taught us how to integrate our classroom knowledge with practical setting.

I think it also should be mentioned that next year you can miss up to 30% of your classes without any penalty. Once you miss over 50% of your classes, then you fail.

Many students swipe in and leave also. I'm not saying this is the wise thing to do, but a lot of students swipe in and go study or go sleep or whatever.

 

[HoodyHoo]

Superfly,

As a 2nd year in comp I'll comment on some of those issues

1) Attrition rate - it really isn't any worse than any other school, they just don't have the 5 year plan that other schools have. You gotta realize that >80% of us make it through and you really shouldn't be worried about failing no matter what school you go to

80% really isn't that great of a number. I imagine that at most schools over 95% make it through.

 

[me454555]

80% really isn't that great of a number. I imagine that at most schools over 95% make it through

All depends on how you look at it. I've talked w/people from various schools and they seem to have similar attrition rates. The only difference is what they do with them after they fail a class or 2. In western, they let you take a certain number of credits. If you get fail more than 15, your looking at either repeating the first year or not coming back. Western usually discourages the 5 year plan unless you have a very good reason for it (I.E. medical problems) so some students don't come back. I think that contributes the "higher than average" attrition rate where as others schools may allow students to take a lighter course load or may allow more students to retake the year more liberally.

In the end, I feel that the ultimate resposibilty is the students'. If you work hard, there is no reason to fail out. It really shouldn't be a factor in making up your mind b/c the overwhelming majority pass at every school. If you truely are worried about being in the bottom of the class and failing out, maybe medical school just isn't for you. No matter where you go, it's a very hard first 2 years and something that should not be taken lightly.

 

[pushinepi2]

I can't say much about the program at Western University. However, I can say some things regarding NSUCOM since I have completed my first two years there. NSUCOM is a good school. Great location, good environment. The students there are friendly and willing to help each other. However, the only knack that I have against NSUCOM is the attendance policy. Dress code is not a big issue. Just roll out of bed in your scrubs and go to class. Going back to the attendance policy, we are one of the few schools across the coutnry that has an attendance policy that is enforced. This will kind of hinder your studies if you are like me, a person that goes at his own pace. However, if you need structure, the attendance policy is alright. Personally, I don't like sitting in lecture for at least 6 hours a day.

As for Western, I don't know much about the school. Any medical school is a good medical school. What you put in is what you get. In my theory of deciding of which medical school to go to, I would put these factors into your consideration....

1. Tuition. Go to the cheapest medical school possible. I hate loans!! Tuition at NSUCOM for out of state students jumped up to 31,500.

2. Preparation and Percent Passing Boards on their FIRST try. This is important becuase many residency programs will look at your board scores. At NSUCOM, board scores are up in the air. No one really knows how well we do. We will see next week.

3. Clinical Rotations. Make sure they have a solid rotation schedule. There are some schools that like to send their students all over the country and/or state. Some people like to travel and explore new opportunities while others don't. Also, make sure they rotations are solid. At NSUCOM, the rotation system is fairly hospital. Of the 9 or so rotation sites, I would say 7 are very solid. So the chances of getting a good rotation spot is good. Find out how many elective months you can do and what are the restrictions regarding the elective months. These are your months to shine to the residency programs you may want to attend.

Just to add a few tidbits to the "clinical rotation" comments;

First, the clinical rotations are always WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM. That said, NSU currently requires students to complete three (3) !!! months of rural medicine. Even though 1 month is a "selective," this policy can limit your choices of subspecialty courses. I don't know of any other DO school that has such stringent rural requirements.

Secondly, I can't speak for the "9 or so rotation sites." Like other osteopathic medical schools, NSU often relies on affiliations with community hospitals. Speak to students at the different sites, and you'll receive similarly divergent answers. I thought my hospital site was quite strong, but some of the core rotations within my site were WEAK. Other hospitals, I think, had a much larger proportion of 'shaky' rotations. NSU acknowledges that it can be difficult funneling 200+ students into quality clinical rotations. There are plans to build a 150 bed hospital on campus and to expand current DO residency programs. The expansion of GME at a core facility has several benefits to senior medical students. Among them: a structured academic environment, a student-centered environment, opportunity to perform procedures... and so on. Whatever school you decide on, it is imperative to DO YOUR RESEARCH. This means talking to students and officials at major affiliated clinical institutions. For example, some of NSU's hospitals structure their internal medicine rotations around a particular community physician. This can translate into less hospital time and a more subjective learning experience. While some students prefer one on one teaching, I absolutely treasured the sheer volume of pathology that came through Broward General's doors. Internal Medicine there is three months of INPATIENT CARE with q4 call. Two hospitals, same medical school, DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED clinical experiences. Talk to 3rd and 4th years!

Anyway, Fort Lauderdale IS a cool place to live and learn. Best wishes.