NYCOM vs LECOM

[peweee17]

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Here is another comparison thread. I may have to decide between the two schools soon and would like some feedback on the school. I understand that it is ultimately my decision, but it would be great to hear from others why they liked one over the other or the weakness of one.
What is the passing rate on boards between the two?
What's the average score on first time takers?
Better rotation/residencies?

 

[christina30]

Here is another comparison thread. I may have to decide between the two schools soon and would like some feedback on the school. I understand that it is ultimately my decision, but it would be great to hear from others why they liked one over the other or the weakness of one.
What is the passing rate on boards between the two?
What's the average score on first time takers?
Better rotation/residencies?

A couple of questions for you first:
1. Where are you from? Is it an urban area, suburban, or rural? What kind of environment do you prefer?
2. which LECOM campus? Some are all PBL and that should really effect your decision.


I'm a student at NYCOM - feel free to send me a PM if you have specific questions.

 

[Cochan]

Here is another comparison thread. I may have to decide between the two schools soon and would like some feedback on the school. I understand that it is ultimately my decision, but it would be great to hear from others why they liked one over the other or the weakness of one.
What is the passing rate on boards between the two?
What's the average score on first time takers?
Better rotation/residencies?

Which LECOM are you speaking of? Erie, Bradenton, or Seton Hill. Seton Hill shares stats with Erie and Bradenton is a separate school. It doesn't matter too much were you are going, see where you fit. Are you a city kind of person or rural area person, do you like snowy weather or do you prefer noises of busy traffic? It depends what you put into the school that will affect your success. LECOMs advice to students is if you can get a 3.0 or high you will pass the boards. Your exact board score is up to you. I think the previous years have averaged 500 with a very large range up to 700.You have options at LECOM as far as a pathway such as ISP, PBL, and LDP each with a pro and con. The school prepares you well for Boards but once again you need to work for it. In the end you are hear to get out and work. Rotations are decent at LECOM there is a nice mix of rural and urban hospitals that will grant you the opportunity for one on one learning with doctors in community hospitals and the chance to get your foot in the door for hospitals that offer residencies. As far as residency placement, what I have seen are places as far as the local Millcreek Hospital to the Cleveland Clinic.

I can't speak for NYCOM but i don't like busy places. LECOM was and still is a good fit for me.

Good luck on your choice!

 

[NYDOC112]

Here is another comparison thread. I may have to decide between the two schools soon and would like some feedback on the school. I understand that it is ultimately my decision, but it would be great to hear from others why they liked one over the other or the weakness of one.
What is the passing rate on boards between the two?
What's the average score on first time takers?
Better rotation/residencies?

Hey just to clarify another post, NYCOM is not in the city. Its in a quiet town in the suburbs about 45 mins outside of the city.

At NYCOM you can do lecture based learning, or PBL based learning. NYCOM boasts being in the top 5 schools for board scores, but dosen't release their scores. The scores do have to be good though, because they have students matching into great programs (Cornell, Presbyterian, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Mayo clinic, Cleveland clinic, etc etc etc. NYCOM has about an 82% specialization rate. As far as rotations NYCOM has 32+ clinical affiliates. That gives you a lot of options as far as what you want to rotate in, and where you want to rotate. (Rotations are throughout LI, NYC, NJ, CT and upstate NY. Additionally if you want to do a rotation anywhere else in the US the office of clinical ed will help make it happen, The institute for global health will also help you to set up an international rotation if you are interested. The rotation system is pretty large and because of that NYCOM offers many rare and hard to find rotations that you cannot get elsewhere, ex: neurosurgery, infectious diseases, Derm, ENT, orthopedic surg, etc...) NYCOM is well established and already has a good reputation/ is one of the older COMs. NYCOM also has NYCOMEC, they are a set of hospitals (about 20+) that offer residencies with priority given to NYCOM students. NO rotations need to be set up at NYCOM they are all already done. The other unique thing about NYCOM is you can choose to rotate all in one area, or anywhere you want, that way you never have to move (other schools require you to move frequently, and sometimes across states). In all I made the same decision several years ago, and I chose NYCOM for the 3rd/4th year rotations, and residency potential. I also wanted to practice in the NY area so having rotations in the NY area helped me to be able to rotate at all the hospitals I wanted to do a residency in, ultimately helping to land me a residency in my #1 choice. Both schools are good, now you need to choose where you will be happy, and where you want to be in the future, then choose the school that will give that to you.

 

[peweee17]

A couple of questions for you first:
1. Where are you from? Is it an urban area, suburban, or rural? What kind of environment do you prefer?
2. which LECOM campus? Some are all PBL and that should really effect your decision.


I'm a student at NYCOM - feel free to send me a PM if you have specific questions.

1. I'm from the suburb of Rochester, NY. Honestly, both LECOM and NYCOM seems to me to be in the same type of living area...suburban. I went to school in a semi-rural setting and have friends i visit in the NYC area, so I can handle any area. I think going to NYCom would best fit my living preference. However, that plays a very small part in my choice.

2. LECOM - Erie DBL.

 

[NYEMMED]

Hey just to clarify another post, NYCOM is not in the city. Its in a quiet town in the suburbs about 45 mins outside of the city.

At NYCOM you can do lecture based learning, or PBL based learning. NYCOM boasts being in the top 5 schools for board scores, but dosen't release their scores. The scores do have to be good though, because they have students matching into great programs (Cornell, Presbyterian, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Mayo clinic, Cleveland clinic, etc etc etc. NYCOM has about an 82% specialization rate. As far as rotations NYCOM has 32+ clinical affiliates. That gives you a lot of options as far as what you want to rotate in, and where you want to rotate. (Rotations are throughout LI, NYC, NJ, CT and upstate NY. Additionally if you want to do a rotation anywhere else in the US the office of clinical ed will help make it happen, The institute for global health will also help you to set up an international rotation if you are interested. The rotation system is pretty large and because of that NYCOM offers many rare and hard to find rotations that you cannot get elsewhere, ex: neurosurgery, infectious diseases, Derm, ENT, orthopedic surg, etc...) NYCOM is well established and already has a good reputation/ is one of the older COMs. NYCOM also has NYCOMEC, they are a set of hospitals (about 20+) that offer residencies with priority given to NYCOM students. NO rotations need to be set up at NYCOM they are all already done. The other unique thing about NYCOM is you can choose to rotate all in one area, or anywhere you want, that way you never have to move (other schools require you to move frequently, and sometimes across states). In all I made the same decision several years ago, and I chose NYCOM for the 3rd/4th year rotations, and residency potential. I also wanted to practice in the NY area so having rotations in the NY area helped me to be able to rotate at all the hospitals I wanted to do a residency in, ultimately helping to land me a residency in my #1 choice. Both schools are good, now you need to choose where you will be happy, and where you want to be in the future, then choose the school that will give that to you.

👍+1

 

[christina30]

1. I'm from the suburb of Rochester, NY. Honestly, both LECOM and NYCOM seems to me to be in the same type of living area...suburban. I went to school in a semi-rural setting and have friends i visit in the NYC area, so I can handle any area. I think going to NYCom would best fit my living preference. However, that plays a very small part in my choice.

2. LECOM - Erie DBL.

So, are you the type of student that likes DBL? Or do you prefer lecture? NYCOM has a PBL program, but you have to apply and I think they only take about 50 students.

NYCOM is in a suburban area, but it's not a boring/typical suburb (multiple colleges nearby, etc.) - the city is extremely close (I commute everyday from Queens, it's not a long drive at all, and the LIRR to Manhattan is nearby.)

Also, is the cost difference significant? I don't really know what LECOM costs, but NYCOM is really expensive and it might be worth saving the $$ if it's a significant difference and the location doesn't matter much to you.

I will say that NYCOM's affiliations with hospitals for rotations are really great - they have a huge network in the metro area (even NJ). Those affiliations also apply to residency programs - NYCOM has tons of residencies in the area associated with it (among the most of any DO school, if I remember correctly) and being a NYCOM student, able to rotate at these facilities, can only help your chance of matching.

They gave us (the class of 2014) a little lecture on the Boards a week or 2 ago, and I think they said something about a 91% board pass rate. Since they're already trying to scare us straight as first years, I assume they're trying to bring the pass rate up, haha.
But they don't do what a lot of other schools do (I think LECOM is one of them) - they stop students from taking the boards that they decide are "unprepared" for them, and thus can brag about having a 98% pass rate. It's a little bit of a misleading statistic in that case, imho, but that's just me.

 

[peweee17]

Also, is the cost difference significant? I don't really know what LECOM costs, but NYCOM is really expensive and it might be worth saving the $$ if it's a significant difference and the location doesn't matter much to you.

I will say that NYCOM's affiliations with hospitals for rotations are really great - they have a huge network in the metro area (even NJ). Those affiliations also apply to residency programs - NYCOM has tons of residencies in the area associated with it (among the most of any DO school, if I remember correctly) and being a NYCOM student, able to rotate at these facilities, can only help your chance of matching.

They gave us (the class of 2014) a little lecture on the Boards a week or 2 ago, and I think they said something about a 91% board pass rate. Since they're already trying to scare us straight as first years, I assume they're trying to bring the pass rate up, haha.
But they don't do what a lot of other schools do (I think LECOM is one of them) - they stop students from taking the boards that they decide are "unprepared" for them, and thus can brag about having a 98% pass rate. It's a little bit of a misleading statistic in that case, imho, but that's just me.

The cost at LECOM is 21k I believe where NYCOM 45k. This is not including living expenses. This is quite a bit of difference, but not an end all be all fact.

I have heard about school screening out before the boards...so NYCOM does not do this?

On Sunday, I'm going to work on pros and cons list. Ty for everything.

I still welcome anymore information.

 

[HockeyDr09]

The cost at LECOM is 21k I believe where NYCOM 45k. This is not including living expenses. This is quite a bit of difference, but not an end all be all fact.

I have heard about school screening out before the boards...so NYCOM does not do this?

On Sunday, I'm going to work on pros and cons list. Ty for everything.

I still welcome anymore information.

LECOM is 28k not 21k

http://www.lecom.edu/pros_financialaid.php/college-of-medicine-tuition-fees/76/0/1956/6890

 

[peweee17]

LECOM is 28k not 21k

http://www.lecom.edu/pros_financialaid.php/college-of-medicine-tuition-fees/76/0/1956/6890

Thanks for the correction.

 

[NYEMMED]

The cost at LECOM is 21k I believe where NYCOM 45k. This is not including living expenses. This is quite a bit of difference, but not an end all be all fact.

I have heard about school screening out before the boards...so NYCOM does not do this?

On Sunday, I'm going to work on pros and cons list. Ty for everything.

I still welcome anymore information.

At NYCOM every student takes the boards

 

[DuxburyPembroke]

LECOM is 28k not 21k

http://www.lecom.edu/pros_financialaid.php/college-of-medicine-tuition-fees/76/0/1956/6890

30K at Seton Hill

 

[engineeredout]

I had to decide between the two and went with LECOM. Mainly tuition reasons. 28 and 45K is a huge difference. 68,000$ in tuition alone. Not to mention ridiculously high cost of living on Long Island. As much as LECOM pisses me off sometimes, lower tuition makes it worth it.

 

[peweee17]

...so, other than the price tag..are they about the same reputation.

 

[Hokie06]

OP, they are both excellent schools. IMHO, the decision should be based on how much you care to stay in the New York area. Staying in NY would allow you to rotate through New Nork hospitals and perhaps give you an edge when it comes to applying for residency in NY. Going to LECOM is also a good choice because you will save a lot of money. But you might find yourself needing to do more work to set up rotations and obtaining a residency in NY if that is what you desire. I had a similar dilemma 2 years ago deciding b/w NYCOM and VCOM. In the end, I chose NYCOM because I wanted to be closer to my family and I knew ultimately I wanted to do a residency in NY. Either way, congratulations on your acceptances and good luck what ever you decide to do.👍

 

[taylormade2006]

I had to decide between the two and went with LECOM. Mainly tuition reasons. 28 and 45K is a huge difference. 68,000$ in tuition alone. Not to mention ridiculously high cost of living on Long Island. As much as LECOM pisses me off sometimes, lower tuition makes it worth it.

What is it about LECOM that gets on your nerves sometimes? I am trying to decide between KCOM and LECOM and would like to hear more about LECOM from someone that attends.

 

[peweee17]

What is the cost of living in Eria, PA vs around NYCOM?

Also, if you go to NYCOM..what kind of resources can you use from NYIT?

 

[HockeyDr09]

I'm from roughly 20 minutes from NYCOM. It's much more expensive than Erie, no question.

 

[peweee17]

I'm from roughly 20 minutes from NYCOM. It's much more expensive than Erie, no question.

I figured. I believe NYCOM said roughly 24k for living expenses, where LECOM is around 12k..but don't quote me on that. I wanted to see what students say.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

What is it about LECOM that gets on your nerves sometimes? I am trying to decide between KCOM and LECOM and would like to hear more about LECOM from someone that attends.

I think his main beef is going with the Learning Pathway. Required attendance, having to wear a shirt/tie everyday, assigned seating, and no food and drink in the classrooms day in and day out in addition to the load medical school puts on you can wear on you.
Even though I applied to LECOM, if their Learning Pathway would have been their only route of learning I wouldn't have bothered. Luckily there is IDP and PBL.

 

[christina30]

I think his main beef is going with the Learning Pathway. Required attendance, having to wear a shirt/tie everyday, assigned seating, and no food and drink in the classrooms day in and day out in addition to the load medical school puts on you can wear on you.
Even though I applied to LECOM, if their Learning Pathway would have been their only route of learning I wouldn't have bothered. Luckily there is IDP and PBL.

Well NYCOM also has required attendance - but there's 300 people to a class and they don't actually check attendance in lecture. It's pretty easy to get around it.

We have a PBL curriculum for about 30-50 people every year, but I don't know much about it. I do see people dressed in their professional gear sometimes though.

 

[Vee]

At NYCOM every student takes the boards

This is true but there are potential issues with this system - I can think of at least 2 people who were dismissed from my class (I'm a fourth year) for failing COMLEX Level 1 multiple times within the 6 month window that you're given to pass.

 

[NYEMMED]

This is true but there are potential issues with this system - I can think of at least 2 people who were dismissed from my class (I'm a fourth year) for failing COMLEX Level 1 multiple times within the 6 month window that you're given to pass.

Thats a National Rule. You are only allowed to take the COMLEX Step 1- 3 times. Then the NBOME will no longer allow you to take it, and the school will then drop you. The six month window is now 18 months.

 

[csmittyB]

What is it about LECOM that gets on your nerves sometimes? I am trying to decide between KCOM and LECOM and would like to hear more about LECOM from someone that attends.

I think his main beef is going with the Learning Pathway. Required attendance, having to wear a shirt/tie everyday, assigned seating, and no food and drink in the classrooms day in and day out in addition to the load medical school puts on you can wear on you.
Even though I applied to LECOM, if their Learning Pathway would have been their only route of learning I wouldn't have bothered. Luckily there is IDP and PBL.

I would agree with most of the above. Even the non LDP pathways have mandatory attendance for meetings and certain lectures (for one of the pathways, there is -1% from the grade for each absence).

I admit that I'm only here for the tuition. If the other schools I got into were comparably priced, I'd have gone to elsewhere.

 

[donkeykong1]

I would lean towards LECOM, and I live 20min away from NYCOM. IMO nycomec seems a bit over touted. Mots of the sites are in small community hospitals with little resources. NYCOM's big rotation site at st.barnabas in the bronx is pretty much comparable to LECOM's rotation sites at Hamot and other places.

Although NYCOM might have more residency slots to offer, they're not that competitive to get into if you're not a NYCOM grad. Some of NYCOM's competitive residencies like derm require you to do a 3yr FP residency on top of them, making these places less desirable to apply to and thus unfilled. LECOM i believe also has competitive residencies in ENT and ortho and others..Basically my point is that the most things that are said about NYCOM can be said about LECOM as well.

NYCOM might get you more name recognition in NY, the same way LECOM gets you more name recognition in PA, but either way both schools are relatively comparable.

Bottom line with LECOM-much cheaper, more research opportunities [unless you're into neuro then nycom has the edge], has its OWN hospital that's basically on campus, tough administration that wants to mold future professionals, and if you want to come back to NY just do a ton of electives in NY

Best of luck on your decision.

 

[bleeker10]

I would lean towards LECOM, and I live 20min away from NYCOM. IMO nycomec seems a bit over touted. Mots of the sites are in small community hospitals with little resources. NYCOM's big rotation site at st.barnabas in the bronx is pretty much comparable to LECOM's rotation sites at Hamot and other places.

The only rotations we have at Hamot for my class is IM and psych. Millcreek is our associated hospital and it has IM, ortho, ENT, ophtho, FP, and Psych residencies and GI, sports med, geriatrics and OMM fellowships. The availability of these residencies means you have the opportunity to do research at MCH since the residents have to do one research project per year. I was able to work with an ortho resident last year on his research.

and if you want to come back to NY just do a ton of electives in NY

We have core rotation sites in Buffalo, Binghamton, Olean, Utica, and Long Island.

 

[bleeker10]

I think his main beef is going with the Learning Pathway. Required attendance, having to wear a shirt/tie everyday, assigned seating, and no food and drink in the classrooms day in and day out in addition to the load medical school puts on you can wear on you.
Even though I applied to LECOM, if their Learning Pathway would have been their only route of learning I wouldn't have bothered. Luckily there is IDP and PBL.

Wearing a shirt/tie everyday isn't bad at all. You get used to it plus you have to wear that in rotations. After 5 during the week and on OPP days you don't have to be in shirt/tie. We do have assigned seating but some people sit in the back anyways. I sit in the front row and like it because I hear better up there. As far as mandatory attendance, it sucks sometimes. Especially now that boards is coming up. Luckily we have very high yield board stuff we are learning this semester (GI, endocrine, repro). No food and drink in the classroom? Who cares. Honestly it's not a big deal. This isn't undergrad anymore so you shouldn't expect the same things. We only have class for 50 minutes at a time so you can easily make it through the lecture without drinking or eating. A good way to look at it is that you won't be eating as much so you won't be packing on the weight as easily. My one complaint about med school is that I am sitting 95% of the day. It's easy to get stiff or have back/butt pain.

Also its not the Learning Pathway. It's the Lecture Discussion Pathway (LDP), Independent Study Pathway (ISP), Problem Based Learning (PBL), and Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP). If I could do it again, I would do ISP in a heart beat.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Wearing a shirt/tie everyday isn't bad at all. You get used to it plus you have to wear that in rotations. After 5 during the week and on OPP days you don't have to be in shirt/tie. We do have assigned seating but some people sit in the back anyways. I sit in the front row and like it because I hear better up there. As far as mandatory attendance, it sucks sometimes. Especially now that boards is coming up. Luckily we have very high yield board stuff we are learning this semester (GI, endocrine, repro). No food and drink in the classroom? Who cares. Honestly it's not a big deal. This isn't undergrad anymore so you shouldn't expect the same things. We only have class for 50 minutes at a time so you can easily make it through the lecture without drinking or eating. A good way to look at it is that you won't be eating as much so you won't be packing on the weight as easily. My one complaint about med school is that I am sitting 95% of the day. It's easy to get stiff or have back/butt pain.

Also its not the Learning Pathway. It's the Lecture Discussion Pathway (LDP), Independent Study Pathway (ISP), Problem Based Learning (PBL), and Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP). If I could do it again, I would do ISP in a heart beat.

Not completely sure why you defend just about everything and then still make the bolded comment? So all of that is peachy keen except sitting for 95% of the day, which makes you rather do ISP?
Additionally I just went through the laundry list of what Engineeredout has previously mentioned in other posts.
Additionally I think your comment about "this isn't undergrad anymore" points more to a reason why one should be allowed food and drink. You would think the more mature a person is the more freedom they should be alloted.

It is also my mistake I callled it the "Learning Pathway" instead of the "Lecture Discussion Pathway" the only thing it ever was to me was the "I'm only going this route if I can't get in another pathway or in another school with more resonable class hours Pathway".

FWIW, I'll most likely be at LECOM-B next year, but PBL to LDP is apples to oranges imo.

 

[christina30]

Wearing a shirt/tie everyday isn't bad at all. You get used to it plus you have to wear that in rotations. After 5 during the week and on OPP days you don't have to be in shirt/tie. We do have assigned seating but some people sit in the back anyways. I sit in the front row and like it because I hear better up there. As far as mandatory attendance, it sucks sometimes. Especially now that boards is coming up. Luckily we have very high yield board stuff we are learning this semester (GI, endocrine, repro). No food and drink in the classroom? Who cares. Honestly it's not a big deal. This isn't undergrad anymore so you shouldn't expect the same things. We only have class for 50 minutes at a time so you can easily make it through the lecture without drinking or eating. A good way to look at it is that you won't be eating as much so you won't be packing on the weight as easily. My one complaint about med school is that I am sitting 95% of the day. It's easy to get stiff or have back/butt pain.

Also its not the Learning Pathway. It's the Lecture Discussion Pathway (LDP), Independent Study Pathway (ISP), Problem Based Learning (PBL), and Primary Care Scholars Pathway (PCSP). If I could do it again, I would do ISP in a heart beat.

If it's anything like NYCOM's lectures, you're saying 50 minutes at a time with 10 minute breaks inbetween - so they expect you to force food down your throat/gulp down your hot coffee outside the lecture hall in that 10 minutes? That's freaking stupid.

We're not 5 years old anymore, I'm going to drink a goddamn cup of coffee in class if I feel like it. And guess what? NYCOM let's us do that - AND I get to sit where ever I want. Assigned seats? Am I in high school?

 

[bleeker10]

Not completely sure why you defend just about everything and then still make the bolded comment? So all of that is peachy keen except sitting for 95% of the day, which makes you rather do ISP?

The only reason I would do ISP is for more board studying time. Otherwise I've done very well in LDP and I'm happy with it. You learn which lecturers are good and you listen to them more than the bad ones. I hear board relevant, high yield stuff everyday whereas PBL and ISP may not get that same info from their books. My roommate is ISP and he has plenty of time to study for classes and do board studying. It's hard to do any board studying when you are in class from 8:30-4:20 and still have to study for tests.

Additionally I think your comment about "this isn't undergrad anymore" points more to a reason why one should be allowed food and drink. You would think the more mature a person is the more freedom they should be alloted.

There are plenty of jobs that don't allow you to drink or eat while you are working. Even though you are a mature person, you still have to follow the rules that were set by your employer. The difference between a mature person and an immature person is the mature person knows they have to follow the rules and doesn't b*tch about it constantly while saying "it's so unfair." I know you are gonna say that med school is not a job, but that's just BS. You may/may not agree with the policy but you have to follow it if you come here. It's really not a big deal to have no food/drink. You get used to it pretty quickly. I will bet with 99.999999% certainty that the food/drink policy or shirt/tie policy is NOT what engineeredout is referring to.

As far as the undergrad comment, you will find when you get to med school that there are people who feel entitled to be there. They have been told all their life they are special so they feel like they are owed certain things. In undergrad you were the top so many percent of students and you got into med school. Once you get in, you are like everyone else. You are no more special than anyone else. This doesn't have much relevance to this thread but it's just something that's very annoying. Med school is hard, you can't learn everything, you have to do things you may not like, but once you are through step I, you don't have to deal with a food/drink policy or mandatory attendance for lectures anymore. You are on rotations and don't have to really deal with your school unless you get in trouble.

Caveat: When I say "you", I'm referring to the general med student population and not to MLT2MT2DO in particular.

It is also my mistake I callled it the "Learning Pathway" instead of the "Lecture Discussion Pathway" the only thing it ever was to me was the "I'm only going this route if I can't get in another pathway or in another school with more resonable class hours Pathway".

I was just trying to let everyone else in the thread know what the names of the pathways were in case they had questions.

FWIW, I'll most likely be at LECOM-B next year, but PBL to LDP is apples to oranges imo.

Couldn't agree more with the bolded statement. The people who do PBL love it because they want to learn on their own from a textbook and not spend time in class. I personally would hate learning from a textbook. I use lecture powerpoints and board review books. Plus PBL gets tested on some serious minutiae that isn't relevant for the most part. The toughest time for them is the two weeks before their test. But my PBL friends love their free time. There is a reason it's been called "Party Based Learning." There are pros/cons of all the pathways and I like LECOM gives you the chance to choose the best option for you.

 

[bleeker10]

If it's anything like NYCOM's lectures, you're saying 50 minutes at a time with 10 minute breaks inbetween - so they expect you to force food down your throat/gulp down your hot coffee outside the lecture hall in that 10 minutes? That's freaking stupid.

Have you ever talked to anyone on rotations? Everybody I've ever talked to says they are lucky to eat while on surgery and if they can, they have to eat in 5 minutes. A lot of them didn't even get a chance to eat during the day OR even go to the bathroom. There are posts in the surgery forum about doctors who go the whole day without peeing.

10 minutes is plenty of time to grab a snack or drink some pop. I don't drink coffee so I'm not gonna comment on that.

We're not 5 years old anymore, I'm going to drink a goddamn cup of coffee in class if I feel like it. And guess what? NYCOM let's us do that - AND I get to sit where ever I want. Assigned seats? Am I in high school?

Haha this is funny. Are you gonna act like this on rotations or in residency? Are you going to say "I'm not a teenager anymore so I'm gonna eat lunch no matter what my resident/attending says"? The bolded makes you sound like one of the entitled students I was referring to.

I just wanted to post on LECOM and it's policies. I'm not gonna get into an argument over whether students should be allowed to eat/drink in class or have mandatory seating. It's the rules here. If you think you can handle that and don't let it bother you then come here. It's much cheaper than NYCOM and we get a good education. I don't know anything about the quality of education or rotations at NYCOM so I'm not gonna comment on that. Med school is just a step to getting to my goal of becoming a doctor. I am only here for two years and then will be away for two years doing rotations.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

The only reason I would do ISP is for more board studying time. Otherwise I've done very well in LDP and I'm happy with it. You learn which lecturers are good and you listen to them more than the bad ones. I hear board relevant, high yield stuff everyday whereas PBL and ISP may not get that same info from their books. My roommate is ISP and he has plenty of time to study for classes and do board studying. It's hard to do any board studying when you are in class from 8:30-4:20 and still have to study for tests.

8:30-4:20 sounds like hell to me personally. But this of course will vary from student to student.

There are plenty of jobs that don't allow you to drink or eat while you are working. Even though you are a mature person, you still have to follow the rules that were set by your employer. The difference between a mature person and an immature person is the mature person knows they have to follow the rules and doesn't b*tch about it constantly while saying "it's so unfair." I know you are gonna say that med school is not a job, but that's just BS. You may/may not agree with the policy but you have to follow it if you come here. It's really not a big deal to have no food/drink. You get used to it pretty quickly. I will bet with 99.999999% certainty that the food/drink policy or shirt/tie policy is NOT what engineeredout is referring to.

Engineered mentions the food/drink, shirt/tie policy but I agree. I think his main beef is the 8 hours a day required class room attendance.

Additionally I work in a clinical lab and due to "universal precautions" from blood/urine/feces/any other body fluid I have to step away to get food/drink. Outside of slightly interferring with my one pot of coffee need I personally am fine with both no food/drink and shirt/tie. As mentioned I've been floating these boards for awhile and just happened to remember (since LECOM is a school I was applying to) engineered's beef when starting at LECOM.

As far as the undergrad comment, you will find when you get to med school that there are people who feel entitled to be there. They have been told all their life they are special so they feel like they are owed certain things. In undergrad you were the top so many percent of students and you got into med school. Once you get in, you are like everyone else. You are no more special than anyone else. This doesn't have much relevance to this thread but it's just something that's very annoying. Med school is hard, you can't learn everything, you have to do things you may not like, but once you are through step I, you don't have to deal with a food/drink policy or mandatory attendance for lectures anymore. You are on rotations and don't have to really deal with your school unless you get in trouble.

Caveat: When I say "you", I'm referring to the general med student population and not to MLT2MT2DO in particular.

Don't worry, I got the "I'm a special snowflake" mentally slapped out of me ~12 years ago at 18 when I flunked out of college and joined the Air Force.

Again, I was trying to interpret Engineered's dislike as well as being able to completely relate to it. After taking 23+ credits and working full time for my last 4 semesters of college the last thing I want to do is sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day 5 days a weeks knowing I could be better utilizing my time.

I was just trying to let everyone else in the thread know what the names of the pathways were in case they had questions.



Couldn't agree more with the bolded statement. The people who do PBL love it because they want to learn on their own from a textbook and not spend time in class. I personally would hate learning from a textbook. I use lecture powerpoints and board review books. Plus PBL gets tested on some serious minutiae that isn't relevant for the most part. The toughest time for them is the two weeks before their test. But my PBL friends love their free time. There is a reason it's been called "Party Based Learning." There are pros/cons of all the pathways and I like LECOM gives you the chance to choose the best option for you.

I agree, given so many options on how to learn is extremely progressive, especially for medicine. It is one reason that I chose to apply to both LECOMs. I actually probably would have joined you going for the PCSP pathway if I wasn't so freaked out about having to narrow my specialties before even starting school and actually backing out.

LECOM is cheaper and gives you tons of options, it is a solid choice for anyone, imo. I also know NYCOM has PBL and that could be an option for the OP. I just really think it comes down to whether or not your regional preference is with the tuition difference. LECOM has solid 3/4th year rotations even though you may have to traverse through 4 feet of snow to get to them.

 

[csmittyB]

If it's anything like NYCOM's lectures, you're saying 50 minutes at a time with 10 minute breaks inbetween - so they expect you to force food down your throat/gulp down your hot coffee outside the lecture hall in that 10 minutes? That's freaking stupid.

We're not 5 years old anymore, I'm going to drink a goddamn cup of coffee in class if I feel like it. And guess what? NYCOM let's us do that - AND I get to sit where ever I want. Assigned seats? Am I in high school?

Its so the admin can take attendance

 

[christina30]

Have you ever talked to anyone on rotations? Everybody I've ever talked to says they are lucky to eat while on surgery and if they can, they have to eat in 5 minutes. A lot of them didn't even get a chance to eat during the day OR even go to the bathroom. There are posts in the surgery forum about doctors who go the whole day without peeing.

10 minutes is plenty of time to grab a snack or drink some pop. I don't drink coffee so I'm not gonna comment on that.



Haha this is funny. Are you gonna act like this on rotations or in residency? Are you going to say "I'm not a teenager anymore so I'm gonna eat lunch no matter what my resident/attending says"? The bolded makes you sound like one of the entitled students I was referring to.

I just wanted to post on LECOM and it's policies. I'm not gonna get into an argument over whether students should be allowed to eat/drink in class or have mandatory seating. It's the rules here. If you think you can handle that and don't let it bother you then come here. It's much cheaper than NYCOM and we get a good education. I don't know anything about the quality of education or rotations at NYCOM so I'm not gonna comment on that. Med school is just a step to getting to my goal of becoming a doctor. I am only here for two years and then will be away for two years doing rotations.

I've had JOBS before, I know what it's like to work through lunch/dinner/whatever meal. But that's entirely different - you can try to justify that sort of ridiculousness all you want, but it doesn't work.

There is NO LEGITIMATE REASON to force people to sit in lecture for 8-9 hours a day and forbid them to eat/drink, sorry. "They're trying to prepare us for rotations and residency!!" is a load of crap - there is no freaking comparison.

When you're too busy to stop and eat, it's totally different - you're unable to because you have more important things to do, you're too busy running around/getting your crap done (I've dealt with this before, and the hunger isn't nearly as noticeable/torturous as when you're sitting around & starving for no good reason.) It's still nowhere near the same as being told you're FORBIDDEN from eating/drinking for no good reason.

Yes, my use of hyperbole means that I'm going to be a failure at rotations and residency! Please.

This has nothing to do with entitlement, so drop your condescending attitude. I'm entitled to my opinion, and my opinion is that many of LECOM's policies are ridiculous and unnecessary. You're the one who decided to attack me for voicing that opinion (making a comparison to NYCOM for OP, where they are much more lax re: lecture hall rules & attendance), so don't try to claim that "you're only here to talk about LECOM for the OP" in the same post that you used to START insulting me.

That being said, OP, I think cost is a huge factor if you don't really care about location (which you seem to not have a preference for based on your earlier posts). In the end it adds up to a lot of money saved, so you should probably think about it - NYCOM was worth the money for me because I didn't want to leave home. Both schools offer PBL or Lecture-based curricula. NYCOM, imho, has some of the best rotations & residencies for a DO school without having its own university hospital, imho, but that's just me.

 

[bleeker10]

There is NO LEGITIMATE REASON to force people to sit in lecture for 8-9 hours a day and forbid them to eat/drink, sorry. "They're trying to prepare us for rotations and residency!!" is a load of crap - there is no freaking comparison.

We have an hour for lunch so we aren't forced to sit there for 8-9 hours a day without eating.

When you're too busy to stop and eat, it's totally different - you're unable to because you have more important things to do, you're too busy running around/getting your crap done (I've dealt with this before, and the hunger isn't nearly as noticeable/torturous as when you're sitting around & starving for no good reason.) It's still nowhere near the same as being told you're FORBIDDEN from eating/drinking for no good reason.

We aren't FORBIDDEN from eating/drinking the entire time we are in school. We just can't do it in class. Big deal. 10 minutes is plenty of time to walk to the cafeteria, get a drink, maybe grab a banana or bagel, toast it and eat it. How do I know this? Because I've done it before and people do it everyday. They aren't rushing to do it either. I guess I don't understand why not being able to eat/drink is such a problem for people. When I was applying to school, I didn't give a crap about if I could eat or drink in class because it has no bearing on my education. Rotation sites, board prep, learning pathways, supplemental things the school does to prepare you for boards and residency are way more important than having to dress up or any other nuances LECOM has for policies.

This has nothing to do with entitlement, so drop your condescending attitude. I'm entitled to my opinion, and my opinion is that many of LECOM's policies are ridiculous and unnecessary. You're the one who decided to attack me for voicing that opinion (making a comparison to NYCOM for OP, where they are much more lax re: lecture hall rules & attendance), so don't try to claim that "you're only here to talk about LECOM for the OP" in the same post that you used to START insulting me.

I wasn't trying to insult you, I was just pointing out that your post reeked of entitlement. I never said you were gonna be a bad doctor or do horrible in residency. I just asked if you were gonna carry that same attitude into rotations and residency. I'm entitled to be condescending because I'm a medical student! (yes I realize the hypocrisy of this statement which is why I made it jokingly).

I don't know you so I am in no position to judge you as a person, student or future physician. I apologize for derailing this thread even more.

One last comment. OP go to a school with a systems based curriculum. We have it here at LECOM and I think NYCOM does as well. It will help you integrate the material for each system. Don't pick a school based on the first two years. Every school is pretty much the same in that respect. Focus on 3rd or 4th year. Look at rotation schedules if you can. See what school will offer the most elective time in 3rd and 4th year so you can maximize your chances at matching.

 

[peweee17]

First off, lets try to act professional and not emotional (all I'm going to say).
Secondly, thank you everyone for there two cents...whether fact or opinion, I truly appreciate it.

What is the reason for difference in tuition?
Are the libraries open 24/7? What type of resources are on hand to use?
I know LECOM has a beautiful wellness center to use as a gym...does NYCOM have a gym?
Are NYCOM students allowed to use nyit's facilities?

 

[christina30]

First off, lets try to act professional and not emotional (all I'm going to say).
Secondly, thank you everyone for there two cents...whether fact or opinion, I truly appreciate it.

What is the reason for difference in tuition?
Are the libraries open 24/7? What type of resources are on hand to use?
I know LECOM has a beautiful wellness center to use as a gym...does NYCOM have a gym?
Are NYCOM students allowed to use nyit's facilities?

I don't think anyone can give you a definite answer regarding the tuition, I think there are a ton of factors that go into it. I'm not sure if LECOM has the same expensive technology business that NYCOM does (ex: the fancy shmancy simulation lab that probably adds quite a bit to our tuition - I imagine it's expensive to maintain.) Other than that, can't tell ya why some schools cost more than others. It's one of life's great mysteries at this point.

The library isn't open 24/7 - i'm not sure of the hours since I don't use it. The silent study area (which is way better than the library for getting work done, imho) is open from 6 am - 2 am.


NYCOM has a gym - nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

And yes, we can use NYIT's facilities (I use their library sometimes if I need to, etc. but it's pretty rare for anyone to venture out of the NYCOM quad.)

 

[Coastie]

I think his main beef is going with the Learning Pathway. Required attendance, having to wear a shirt/tie everyday, assigned seating, and no food and drink in the classrooms day in and day out in addition to the load medical school puts on you can wear on you.
Even though I applied to LECOM, if their Learning Pathway would have been their only route of learning I wouldn't have bothered. Luckily there is IDP and PBL.

Shirt and tie? No food/drink? Assigned seating?

Rofl. Nycom is better in board scores, clinical rotations, match list. Lecom has the above plus a PA bridge program. The choice isn't even close:

NYCOM for the win.

 

[NYEMMED]

First off, lets try to act professional and not emotional (all I'm going to say).
Secondly, thank you everyone for there two cents...whether fact or opinion, I truly appreciate it.

What is the reason for difference in tuition?
Are the libraries open 24/7? What type of resources are on hand to use?
I know LECOM has a beautiful wellness center to use as a gym...does NYCOM have a gym?
Are NYCOM students allowed to use nyit's facilities?

NYCOMs library and silent study room are open until 2 am along with the lecture halls and anatomy lab. NYCOM has a gym in the lecture building plus we can use any building or resource on the NYIT side of campus(including their gym).

NYCOM has a simulation lab like Christina said with 3 multiple million dollar robots and an ICC area with standardized patients you will have contact with in your 1st year. The robots do everything speak, breathe, blow out measurable pulmonary levels, have pulses, you can put in IVs, it urinates you can place urinary catheters, it has lung sounds, heart sounds, and responds to medications, pupils dialate etc... We learn emergency procedures and other procedures on these robots.

All lectures at NYCOM are audio/ video recorded and all PowerPoint slides are printed for us usually before class to take notes on/ study from. The NYCOM library also has laptops you can take out for 3 hours at a time. We can also watch any lecture given in the past 4 years, although I don't know why that is necessary

 

[christina30]

NYCOMs library and silent study room are open until 2 am along with the lecture halls and anatomy lab. NYCOM has a gym in the lecture building plus we can use any building or resource on the NYIT side of campus(including their gym).

NYCOM has a simulation lab like Christina said with 3 multiple million dollar robots and an ICC area with standardized patients you will have contact with in your 1st year. The robots do everything speak, breathe, blow out measurable pulmonary levels, have pulses, you can put in IVs, it urinates you can place urinary catheters, it has lung sounds, heart sounds, and responds to medications, pupils dialate etc... We learn emergency procedures and other procedures on these robots.

All lectures at NYCOM are audio/ video recorded and all PowerPoint slides are printed for us usually before class to take notes on/ study from. The NYCOM library also has laptops you can take out for 3 hours at a time. We can also watch any lecture given in the past 4 years, although I don't know why that is necessary

Actually, I looked into the library today because I know it's not open until 2 AM every night like the silent study room and other areas on campus - it closes at Midnight on most nights, and it's usually open by 8 AM (opens much later in the morning on the weekends, unfortunately).

 

[NYEMMED]

Actually, I looked into the library today because I know it's not open until 2 AM every night like the silent study room and other areas on campus - it closes at Midnight on most nights, and it's usually open by 8 AM (opens much later in the morning on the weekends, unfortunately).

Thanks for the correction... Im always in Silent study, or the lecture halls anyway, probably why I thought everything was 2 am...

 

[christina30]

Thanks for the correction... Im always in Silent study, or the lecture halls anyway, probably why I thought everything was 2 am...

Yeah, I know, I don't use the library either - or silent study for that matter - it's too... silent! haha

I stick with lecture hall, cafeteria, or the Starbucks in Wheatley Plaza (take heed, OP, these are the hot spots!)

 

[peweee17]

Yeah, I know, I don't use the library either - or silent study for that matter - it's too... silent! haha

I stick with lecture hall, cafeteria, or the Starbucks in Wheatley Plaza (take heed, OP, these are the hot spots!)

👍Starbucks is the way to go...but I will miss Wegmans if I attend NYCOM.

 

[HockeyDr09]

👍Starbucks is the way to go...but I will miss Wegmans if I attend NYCOM.

I am dead serious when I say that NYCOM not having Wegmans was a deal breaker for me. I can't go back to Pathmark / King Kullen / Stop and Shop. They are BRUTAL compared to Wegmans.

Alright, alright maybe it wasn't a deal breaker, but i'd be lying if I said having a Wegmans 2 minutes from LECOM wasn't a factor.

 

[peweee17]

I am dead serious when I say that NYCOM not having Wegmans was a deal breaker for me. I can't go back to Pathmark / King Kullen / Stop and Shop. They are BRUTAL compared to Wegmans.

Alright, alright maybe it wasn't a deal breaker, but i'd be lying if I said having a Wegmans 2 minutes from LECOM wasn't a factor.

I've been making a pro and con list for each and Wegmans was the second thing I mentioned.

Wegmans= +10👍

 

[painmd87]

I am dead serious when I say that NYCOM not having Wegmans was a deal breaker for me. I can't go back to Pathmark / King Kullen / Stop and Shop. They are BRUTAL compared to Wegmans.

Alright, alright maybe it wasn't a deal breaker, but i'd be lying if I said having a Wegmans 2 minutes from LECOM wasn't a factor.

I've heard many a legend about this Wegmans place. In fact it was big news when they decided to build one in one of the DC suburbs.

And in other news, I, for one, am excited about no food in the classroom at LECOM. There are few things more distracting than a Sun Chips bag opening, or people chewing/crunching on food. Call me crazy.

 

[PlasticMan]

First off, lets try to act professional and not emotional (all I'm going to say).
Secondly, thank you everyone for there two cents...whether fact or opinion, I truly appreciate it.

What is the reason for difference in tuition?
Are the libraries open 24/7? What type of resources are on hand to use?
I know LECOM has a beautiful wellness center to use as a gym...does NYCOM have a gym?
Are NYCOM students allowed to use nyit's facilities?

Yes, NYCOM has a gym, but the hours are bad. Something like 5pm - 10pm. Good news is NYIT has a gym which is like 10am-5pm. So between the two, you can decide to workout some time from 10am-10pm. Yes, we can use their facilities. We can also use SUNY old westbury's gym, racquetball courts and Olympic pool (a little known fact) as there are NYIT students that dorm there. Show up with a NYCOM/NYIT ID and you're good to go 👍

 

[PlasticMan]

I don't know that much about LECOM, but I can tell you that I really enjoyed my time at NYCOM. A couple things looking back over the years:

There is plenty of bench research being done on campus if a student wants to get involved. I've done several projects over the years.

NYCOM has a pre-doctoral academic medicine fellowship (now called scholarship) which gives you an extra year to learn to teach medical students and do yet more research and they gives us a masters degree. It is competitive, but worth trying for you if you want extra help to land a good residency. All the other fellows agree with me, that the fellowship(scholarship) looks excellent on your CV when you apply to residency.

There are alot of good mentors at NYCOM if you find one to latch onto. I've been fortunate to find good people through the years to help me with everything.

A major negative I see at NYCOM is the rising tuition. It's getting too high IMO, but then again as a fellow, I haven't paid tuition in several years.

All in all, very happy at NYCOM. Spent 5 years here. Currently interviewing for allo and osteo categorical gen surg spots.

 

[swimchick]

I've been making a pro and con list for each and Wegmans was the second thing I mentioned.

Wegmans= +10👍

The day that I moved to Louisiana and realized I no longer had Wegmans was very heartbreaking!

 

[Longshanks]

Wegman's is amazing. One of my favorite things while living in upstate New York (bing & buff). I wish I could find another sick place like the Food Co-Op in Elmwood Village.. I know they exist but just haven't come across any (without venturing into the hipster infested Williamsburg).