Late response on this but I was reading through the thread and decided to put in my two cents. When I visited LECOM-B, I really liked the idea of PBL and the tuition was definitely pulling me towards LECOM. I had my LECOM interview before NOVA, and was so set on LECOM-B, I barely cared about my interview for Nova. When I got to Nova though, it was a completely different story. I immediately fell in love with the school, but I was subconsciously trying not to like it because of LECOM's cheap tuition. Here were my comparisons...
LECOM B
pro- 1) cheap, probably 80-$90,000 cheaper over 4 years. 2) you have the possibility of setting up rotations anywhere you want, which can make it more ideal when you want competitive residences at specific locations/hospitals (where you have to rotate in order to be considered a candidate) 3) not so much focus on lectures, so you have mo time to individualize your study material for those who are independent learners
negatives- 1) rural area. I like rural medicine (I participated in rural international medical brigades in college). However, the rural area makes it difficult to commute for rotations. I am coming from Chicago, so the idea of moving around after I have to move all the way to Florida really did not sit well. 2) dress code. I went to a private catholic school with uniforms and very strict rules, I hated it. I did not see myself in that environment again. NOVA still requires you to be professional, but you can wear scrubs or nice outfit with whitecoat. I also like the idea of being more comfy while studying. 3) Limited time on campus. You can't have drinks in the lib or anywhere in the building. It seemed like a very sterile, quiet building that was not lived in. If I'm going to be in medical school, I want to be around my colleagues on campus where I can be motivated, not at home isolated studying alone (I think I would go crazy). People at NOVA seemed like they loved being on campus. LECOM really has no campus. 4) The administration sucks so I've heard. I am fine with setting up my own rotations and stuff, but I don't want to hate the administration of a university that I am paying for
Okay now NOVA I'll try to move this fast...
Pros- 1) required spanish class and by miami, huge hispanic culture (I am obsessed with spanish and was a minor in college). 2) Big university feel/urban area. I went to Penn State so I felt more comfortable being on a similar type campus with undergrad nice facilities like the gym and big library. 3) The area- Fort Lauderdale/Miami, enough said. 4) The social life- I am a huge club fan, and NOVA has a ridiculous amount of awesome cool clubs that can help with your career. I liked the Nova had a derm club and plastics club, which will keep me focused and gain experience early on for those competitive residences. If those aren't your thing, they also have a million other medical clubs, sports clubs, volunteer orgs. In general, the med students and other health professional students seemed to hang out and were friends, unlike Bradenton in my opinion. This was one of the biggest selling points for me. Like I said, I am coming from Chicago and I am single 23 yrs old. Hence, I want to be around my classmates. If you have a family and are at another point in you life, then this would be a different story and maybe LECOM suits your lifestyle better. 5) easier to do international rotations or international travel abroad- Nova seemed to really stress this, and again for me personally, this is important because I want to expand on my Spanish. 6) Secured rotations- you won't have to move around too much and will get to rotate at big hospitals. Also, Nova offers more specialty rotations which they will help you coordinate.
In the end, I chose Nova because that was what my gut was telling me. I realized that I was only attracted to LECOM because of the tuition and the high board scores. Don't get me wrong, I really liked PBL, the low tuition, and the flexibility of the school. However, Nova fit my personality better and I want to be where I am happy. Yes it is $90,000 more expensive and yes times are harder. This was the biggest thing for me to swallow as I'm came out of undergrad with lots of loans already. After talking with many of the docs I work with, money should not be the most important factor. In the end, happiness is what matters. Happiness is probably one of the most important factors in making a good physician. After working 60 + hours per week in an ER for the past year, I cannot stress enough that the best doctors are the happiest doctors. If you got a really happy good vibe at LECOM, then by all means go with LECOM. Each person is different. The things I listed were important to me in a medical school and matched what I want out of my life right now, not the money that will be a factor 6-8 years down the road. You can't predict the future...Maybe you will go into a high paying specialty and the money won't matter. Or maybe you'll do FM, which there a ton of loan repayment programs out there already. Also, there's a recent shift in medicine for more debt forgiveness programs for FM due to Obamacare and a need for more PCP's. Ok I am done. Hope this helped! - Courtney (I also chose Nova over Midwestern in Chicago, which is literally across the street from my house).
