Hi everyone! I’m in need of some input for selecting a medical school (DO). So far I have received acceptances from NYITCOM Jonesboro, A.T. Still Kirksville, UNE COM, and VCOM Louisiana. I have decided to let go of UNE COM and VCOM Louisiana for a few reasons. Some facts about me: I am from Illinois and I am finishing up my senior year of college. My stats are a 501 MCAT and a 3.88 gpa (as calculated by the AACOMAS). My boyfriend also has admissions at NYITCOM and A.T. Still and it is our dream to attend school together! Though we still have a few more interviews lined up, we would like to narrow down our option list as we have to pay for our seats soon. Here are the pros and cons we could come up with about both schools. Any input before the end of this week would be greatly appreciated!
NYITCOM Jonesboro pros:
Thank you!
NYITCOM Jonesboro pros:
- State of the art, new facility
- Students seemed to really be happy and friends with each other- extremely inviting environment
- 200 hours of OMM, not as rigorous
- Great studying spaces
- Size of town is nice, stuff to do outside of school
- Good on campus housing
- Open-door policy with professors
- Great neighboring facilities (gym, restaurants, research facilities) due to Arkansas State
- Learn telemedicine and other great technological advancements to apply to medicine
- No grades, just honors/pass/fail
- Offered us a $40,000 scholarship
- Weekly lunch with the Dean, feel like students have a say on their education
- “Care-a-van” offers great opportunity for early exposure to patients
- Has not yet graduated one class
- No ultrasound lab?
- Smaller simulation facility and not sure if they have colonoscopy and endoscopy sims
- Not sure of what resources they offer outside of classes for COMLEX prep (UWorld, Pathoma, etc.)
- Have seen mixed reviews on rotation sites/not sure how they work, would I be moving every 4-6 weeks?
- Newer school in the area, though it has a well-established sister school. Does not have the name recognition that A.T. Still has
- Great simulation labs with endoscopy and colonoscopy simulations
- Ultrasound curriculum
- Established school with several clinical sites across the country
- Rigorous COMLEX prep
- Historically places in good residencies
- 400 hours of OMM, and strong OMM curriculum outside of lab
- Extremely small town, nothing to do, small gym
- Seemed more serious and I worry about accessibility to professors
- Uses grading scale (A, B, C, D, and F)
- Campus is outdated with less studying spaces
- Gave me less of a close-knit vibe
Thank you!
