NSU KPCOM-Clearwater vs KCUCOM-KC vs PCOM-PA

[throwawaybabyitsokay]

Hello everyone,

I have been fortunate to have 3 As thus far this cycle at the schools listed in the title. I am still waiting to hear back from a bunch of MD schools, but with the first deposit deadlines approaching for the ones I've been accepted to, I need to narrow it down to 1 of the 3 since I don’t want to pay unnecessary deposits. I would appreciate some outside opinions on the matter before I decide.

Brief bio:

• 23M, FL resident
• Immigrant background (Asian)
• Specialties of interest: Anesthesia, EM, Rads, IM (in this order)
• Would like to live in Florida in the future

Here’s a list of my pros and cons for each school:

NSU KPCOM-Clearwater:

Pros:

• VIsited and toured the Clearwater campus (not interested in the Davie campus if I were to go), loved the vibe of it being only health science programs. The facilities are also extremely new and it's in a really nice location.
• Absolutely love the Clearwater/Tampa/St. Pete area as a whole and school aside would honestly be my top choice to live at if I could be anywhere at the moment. Every time I visit I adore the young spirit, diversity, and vibe of the area.
• Very close to home, so easy access to friends and family for support.

Cons:

• Graded Preclinical
• No real cadaver lab (student I toured with there is an option to access a real cadaver weekly but it is optional, not sure how true it is or how that works in practice).
• Decent amount of OMM according to students I spoke to.
• $69,870/yr tuition + Tampa rent is on the higher end.

Match Rates for Specialties of Interest:

• Anesthesia: 4.0%
• EM: 18.0%
• Rads: 1.4%
• IM: 29.9%

KCUCOM-KC:

Pros:

• OG 5 DO program
• Heard that there is less OMM focus than most DO school? Unsure of how true that is.
• $55,854/yr tuition + KC rent is on the cheaper end compared to most larger cities.
• P/F curriculum

Cons:

• Midwest rotations/residency preference.
• So this is more subjective but I have recently toured the school and checked out the city. The city itself was honestly more beautiful than I anticipated, very clean and the people there were incredibly kind and welcoming. The school is older so some of the facilities seemed dated but nothing terrible. However, during my time there out in the city and in the school, I couldn't shake the feeling that I did not belong here. I felt extremely out of place and uncomfortable, almost uneasy. Not sure why this is the case, but my gut just seemed to not like it there. KC is certainly less diverse than what I come from, so maybe being surrounded with more of the midwestern white American crowd made me feel that way? I am really not sure. And again, everyone was super nice and the city seemed to have its own charm. I just don't know if it is for me. I would appreciate maybe some feedback or anyone who can relate to an experience like this that they've had.
• Rough winters

Match Rates for Specialties of Interest:

• Anesthesia: 5.0%
• EM: 15.5%
• Rads: 2.9%
• IM: 25.2%

PCOM-PA:

Pros:

• OG 5 DO program
• Bigger hospital systems, and with the 3 MD schools nearby more opportunities for research and other programs/extracurriculars.

Cons:

• Graded Preclinical
• $65,048/yr tuition + rent is in the middle cost-wise
• Rough winters
• Haven't visited the campus yet, but in general have heard Philly isn't the safest city.

Matches for specialties of interest (most recent class):

• Anesthesia: 8 people
• EM: 24 people
• Rads: 8 people
• IM: 30 people

So as you can see, I am definitely leaning NSU-KPCOM purely because of its location but I am well aware that it does not have the same reputation as the other two along with other questionable issues there curriculum wise. However, I am having a hard time deciding whether the other two will provide me with substantial enough opportunities that will make up for the potential comfort that I will have just going to NSU and staying in a desirable and familiar location close to my support group. Please let me know what you think. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and giving me your 2 cents to help me make this huge decision in my career

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