Hi everyone! I was fortunate enough to be accepted to 5 schools and waitlisted to 8 schools this cycle. Out of the 5 I've been accepted to, I'm torn between NYITCOM (Arkansas), KYCOM (Pikeville, Kentucky), and NSU-KPCOM (Tampa). I've put deposits down for the first two and was originally planning on visiting both campuses to decide but I got accepted to NSU a few days ago.
Before getting accepted to NSU, I was very iffy about both NYIT and KYCOM. Being from a city area, I was nervous about the culture shock, being in a rural isolated area, and simply being extremely homesick. When I was accepted to NSU, I'll be honest I let out a sigh of relief because I was so happy about the location and I felt much more confident about the school. However, NSU is extremely expensive which is a concern of mine. Now I'm unsure if I should go to the more expensive school and be happier with the environment or go to the cheaper school and may end up regretting being somewhere so rural? I am someone who enjoys doing social activities as a break from school which is why I like Florida. Also, I am leaning away from primary care as of now so I def want to be somewhere where I'll have plenty of opportunities to network and connect with specialists. I'm listing my pros/cons below. Any input would be appreciated!!
NYIT Pros:
KYCOM Pros:
NSU-KPCOM Pros:
Before getting accepted to NSU, I was very iffy about both NYIT and KYCOM. Being from a city area, I was nervous about the culture shock, being in a rural isolated area, and simply being extremely homesick. When I was accepted to NSU, I'll be honest I let out a sigh of relief because I was so happy about the location and I felt much more confident about the school. However, NSU is extremely expensive which is a concern of mine. Now I'm unsure if I should go to the more expensive school and be happier with the environment or go to the cheaper school and may end up regretting being somewhere so rural? I am someone who enjoys doing social activities as a break from school which is why I like Florida. Also, I am leaning away from primary care as of now so I def want to be somewhere where I'll have plenty of opportunities to network and connect with specialists. I'm listing my pros/cons below. Any input would be appreciated!!
NYIT Pros:
- You get a global health certificate
- You are trained in Telemedicine
- NYIT NY is a well-established school but Arkansas only graduated one class so far
- On-campus housing fully furnished and modern
- Connected to Baptist Memorial Hospital
- 95% match rate (matches are combined with NY and Arkansas campus so it is hard to tell where the Arkansas students specifically matched into)
- Best board scores between the three (92%-98% between all exams)
- Mandatory rural rotation
- Small town feel, fewer distractions?
- Did not feel connected to the school during the interview and during the accepted students day-- still do not feel connected to the school (I feel like I've barely heard from them since being accepted but I know the school has a good rep so maybe they're just waiting to reach out once the cycle is wrapping up ?)
- Not as much diversity
- Arkansas was recently founded
- Will I be happy in such an isolated area and will I find the specialists and connections I need for residency or will I mainly be surrounded by primary care?
- somewhat far from the Little Rock
- No family/friends in the area
- The interview went well but I didn't feel as connected
KYCOM Pros:
- Significantly cheaper tuition; 5th most affordable school or something along those lines
- second-best known for primary care but in this case, this is a con (?) since I do not want to do PC
- Well established 1997 but less established than NSU
- Good diversity and accepted students have been so welcoming; feels like a family is forming already
- KYCOM covers a lot of expenses that would otherwise come out of pocket (The only expenses I have to pay is tuition and personal expenses such as housing and living)
- Small town feel from what I've read online
- 1 test every 4 weeks
- Really enjoyed my interview and they constantly have Q+A sessions
- I've been feeling very welcomed and valued since being accepted
- In the Appalachia so very isolated and not much to do around aside from hiking
- The board pass rate is not as high as NYITCOM (85%-94% between the exams)
- I mentioned to a doctor whose from Kentucky that the school was in Pikeville and she said I would hate it because I guess it is that isolated but other students have said after adjusting for few days, they were fine
- Will I be happy there? Will I have the opportunities I need there to find specialists?
- No family in the area
NSU-KPCOM Pros:
- More established school compared to the other schools
- My little sister goes there for undergrad but is on the Ft Lauderdale campus. She also got accepted to their master's program so may stay in Florida longer if she chooses to go there. Also know other people in the area. My dad was so happy to know two of his kids could be together!
- Felt really good about this school compared to the other two
- Great location- beachy, plenty to do, more of what I'm used to
- I noticed somewhat more specialty matches, not mainly primary
- High tech school; can be beneficial to know for the future
- Strong rotation sites
- Likely more specialties in the area/ more opportunities to connect since it is an urban environment
- The interview went very well and I had a great convo with the students and faculty
- Very diverse
- Tampa class size 150 which is a good size in my eyes
- International rotation options and plenty of opportunities to get involved in the community
- Mandatory rural rotation
- I've heard the school prepares kids well for clinical, which is probably the reason behind impressive hospital matches
- Certificates offered
- Connected with 94 internship, residency, and fellowship programs
- System based curriculum
- I heard the school is building its own hospital (correct me if I'm wrong)
- Much more expensive, there is a $7k difference between non-Florida residents and residents
- Higher living expenses due to area
- Doesn’t offer many resources to kids; only offers some board question banks but NYIT gives that and an iPad , and KYCOM gives pretty much everything you can think of. So ultimately, there will be many things to pay for out of pocket
- Not the best board scores, but I've heard the school is changing its curriculum to target this and it has been effective
