Opinions deciding between two schools

[MaybeMD1]

Hello all,

I'm in a position that I didn't think I'd be in yet I'm very thankful to be in it. I was accepted at a few D.O. schools and I'm still waiting to hear back from my #1 school. Currently I'm trying to decide between KCUMB and LECOM-Erie.

My pros for KCUMB all come from the interview day. I like the fact they emphasize getting a tutor and I feel like there is a good support system for their students. Basically, I feel the faculty "care" more about their students. The pros for LECOM are the location (I'm in Upstate NY) and the rotation sites/match sites in NY as I plan on practicing in NY when all is said and done.

For the cons... I hear bad things about the area around KCUMB, but that doesn't really worry me. Also, there were a very few if any NY rotation/match sites from KCUMB that I saw (I'd love to be proven wrong). For LECOM, all I hear about are their strict policies (dress code/attendance/food + drink) but those don't bother me. I had a sense that you're more on your own with regards to the way the faculty felt about the students. Any other cons for both schools would be appreciated.

I wish I could hear back from my #1 before deposits are due, but the deadline is coming up fast and I would love to hear opinions for either school in either direction. Thank you advance for any help.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Hello all,

I'm in a position that I didn't think I'd be in yet I'm very thankful to be in it. I was accepted at a few D.O. schools and I'm still waiting to hear back from my #1 school. Currently I'm trying to decide between KCUMB and LECOM-Erie.

My pros for KCUMB all come from the interview day. I like the fact they emphasize getting a tutor and I feel like there is a good support system for their students. Basically, I feel the faculty "care" more about their students. The pros for LECOM are the location (I'm in Upstate NY) and the rotation sites/match sites in NY as I plan on practicing in NY when all is said and done.

For the cons... I hear bad things about the area around KCUMB, but that doesn't really worry me. Also, there were a very few if any NY rotation/match sites from KCUMB that I saw (I'd love to be proven wrong). For LECOM, all I hear about are their strict policies (dress code/attendance/food + drink) but those don't bother me. I had a sense that you're more on your own with regards to the way the faculty felt about the students. Any other cons for both schools would be appreciated.

I wish I could hear back from my #1 before deposits are due, but the deadline is coming up fast and I would love to hear opinions for either school in either direction. Thank you advance for any help.

Yea deciding between DO schools is tough!!!


I personally would pick LECOM for the money if thats important to you! I don't know about others but I'm not sure how useful a tutor would be for med school. I didn't find them that useful for undergrad

 

[WalSlave]

Every current medical student I've ever seen weigh in on these types of threads has said that if they could do it again, they'd choose the school with the lowest tuition. FWIW.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I'd almost choose KCUMB because I liked the school a lot. But the different in tuition will probably amount to 50-60k by the end of 4th year. And KCUMB has mandatory attendance.

So... I think despite liking KCUMB enormously even i'd bow in and head to Erie.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I wouldn't go with LECOM despite the price. 400 prep people in a medical school class? Dress codes? And apparently everyone thinks the place looks grim. KCUMB will give you a fantastic education and better opportunities at the institution. Before I used to think price was everything. It's not when it comes to being prepared for residency and boards.

 

[subjectivelogic]

I'm from and the area and people exaggerate about just how bad the neighborhood around KCUMB is. Don't get me wrong, it is a bad neighborhood, but you aren't going to be walking up and down Independence Ave. Parking and walking to class is nothing to be worried about. People bring this topic up quite a bit when it comes to KCUMB, but it really isn't much of an issue.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I wouldn't go with LECOM despite the price. 400 prep people in a medical school class? Dress codes? And apparently everyone thinks the place looks grim. KCUMB will give you a fantastic education and better opportunities at the institution. Before I used to think price was everything. It's not when it comes to being prepared for residency and boards.

To some degree, however KCUMB is lecture from 8 to 5 (80% attendance required).
I mean that's great and all, but I feel like that may not be for everyone. Especially if when they come home they have a ton more of studying to do.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Hello all,

I'm in a position that I didn't think I'd be in yet I'm very thankful to be in it. I was accepted at a few D.O. schools and I'm still waiting to hear back from my #1 school. Currently I'm trying to decide between KCUMB and LECOM-Erie.

My pros for KCUMB all come from the interview day. I like the fact they emphasize getting a tutor and I feel like there is a good support system for their students. Basically, I feel the faculty "care" more about their students. The pros for LECOM are the location (I'm in Upstate NY) and the rotation sites/match sites in NY as I plan on practicing in NY when all is said and done.

For the cons... I hear bad things about the area around KCUMB, but that doesn't really worry me. Also, there were a very few if any NY rotation/match sites from KCUMB that I saw (I'd love to be proven wrong). For LECOM, all I hear about are their strict policies (dress code/attendance/food + drink) but those don't bother me. I had a sense that you're more on your own with regards to the way the faculty felt about the students. Any other cons for both schools would be appreciated.

I wish I could hear back from my #1 before deposits are due, but the deadline is coming up fast and I would love to hear opinions for either school in either direction. Thank you advance for any help.

FWIW, when I went to LECOM there is a great support system in place for student who struggle. They really bend over backwards to help you succeed. The professors are very personable and are always available. There are always students who struggle and very few ever fail out of LECOM. The rules are in place to transition you from college life to professional life since that is what you will be doing, they expect you to get used to being on time, dressing professional, etc just like any other job. It's not that big of a deal.

 

[Elevencents]

I am biased but I chose KCUMB over some other top tier schools. Really hard to beat the program there.

 

[Mad Jack]

It sounds like LECOM is a better fit for what you want in a school.

 

[MaybeMD1]

FWIW, when I went to LECOM there is a great support system in place for student who struggle. They really bend over backwards to help you succeed. The professors are very personable and are always available. There are always students who struggle and very few ever fail out of LECOM. The rules are in place to transition you from college life to professional life since that is what you will be doing, they expect you to get used to being on time, dressing professional, etc just like any other job. It's not that big of a deal.

I agree their rules aren't a big deal to me at all and I'd have no issue with a dress code or mandatory attendance as I like to think I'll attend every class. It was the sense of isolation from the faculty that some people express about the school that concerned me. But it's very reassuring to hear your opinion.

It sounds like LECOM is a better fit for what you want in a school.

I would have taken any medical school honestly lol. But now I'm fortunate enough to have a choice between a few and I'm having a difficult time deciding which is the "right" choice. I definitely want to practice in NY after medical school and it's not as if I'll be restricted from that if I go to school that doesn't have rotation sites in that state (granted it'll be more difficult). I want to pick the school that will be the most helpful during those difficult 4 years and most of what I read suggests that LECOM may not be that school. But it was nice to hear the opposite from CabinBuilder.

Any other opinions would be greatly appreciated and thank you again to everyone that has already given their input.

 

[ModelOD]

I can't believe you're even considering LECOM. I also was accepted at LECOM and I would have basically picked anywhere else except for leCOM after my experience there. You know a school is bad if there is a website dedicated to discussing its flaws. Just sayin...

 

[polylux]

I work with several attendings who graduated out of LECOM-Erie less than 10 years ago. None of them have super positive impressions of the school, but none of them have super bad impressions about the school either. It seems to be like LECOM was just an average school. There was a lot to complain about but it was still a decent enough school to make some great physicians.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I can't believe you're even considering LECOM. I also was accepted at LECOM and I would have basically picked anywhere else except for leCOM after my experience there. You know a school is bad if there is a website dedicated to discussing its flaws. Just sayin...

What's the site?

 

[polylux]

What's the site?

http://wehatelecom.com/

 

[hallowmann]

There are a lot of reasons to pick a school, and most are personal, so getting people's advice on a public forum might not be all that valuable.

That said I'll chime in. I chose LECOM for a lot of personal reasons. Thefact that they were the least expensive school to attend of all the med schools I applied to also helped. If you don't care about the rules (which are abundant), you shouldn't have a problem here. Its more or less the same types of rules you'd expect from a real job.

As far as the big class size goes, yeah its close to 400, but that's spread over two branches and (essentially) 3 pathways. PBL Erie has about 150 students (at the Bayfront building), PBL Seton Hill has about 100 students, I can't remember how many are in DSP, but I think its something like 40 or so, and the rest (100+) are in LDP. Its not like all 400 are meeting simultaneously in one big lecture hall, they are spread across completely different pathways, so its a non-issue.

Now as for support, the thing about med school is that no one wants you to fail, but no one is going to be holding your hand either. If you need help, you better stand up and ask for it. You mentioned tutors, they're valuable and promoted here. If you go to faculty, most want to help you get the material. But its all within the bounds of the rules and system. If you can follow the system, you can get all the help you need.

Education is excellent here. You can tell that by the board pass rates and scores. Our reputation in this area is also well known and respected. It may not have been 20 yrs ago, but with our graduates entering some of the best programs in the area, word spreads. You mentioned upstate NY, a big chunk of clinical rotation sites (and as you said matches) are in the region, so if that's your goal, LECOM offers that.

I would like to elaborate that LECOM isn't for everyone. The administration is not the warmest, and they come with some preconceived notions about how things work or how they should work. You should be aware of that before attending, and if I were you, I'd read through the student handbook to get acquainted with that (its one of the things I did before coming here). That said, the faculty and students are in my opinion great here. The teaching, as I said, has been very strong for the most part up until now and the faculty want to help you.

I also want to say that the different pathways are very different. My experiences in PBL are not the same as my peers in LDP and my peers in DSP. You should go out of your way to talk to more people in your program to figure that out. From the sound of it KCUMB's curriculum seems a lot like LECOM's LDP curriculum, which quite frankly I would probably hate, but I have friends that would absolutely have hated PBL. Its again more of a personal choice.

Now as for KCUMB, I know very little about the school. That said, everything I've heard has been good. It seems like a very strong DO program with a lot to offer. I'm sure graduating from there will probably give you the same advantages as graduating from LECOM (the one possible caveat being the upstate NY connections).

No matter what you choose, don't look back. The grass is always greener, and every school has pros and cons. Once you decide and start school, just focus on doing well and learning what you need to. Don't look back and say, oh I wish I had saved money and gone to LECOM, or oh I wish I didn't have to dress up/not eat in class, I should've gone to KCUMB. Med school is already enough of a struggle without adding a disappointed attitude to it. The truth is, med school is what you put into it. Whether that's at LECOM or KCUMB doesn't matter too much.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I work with several attendings who graduated out of LECOM-Erie less than 10 years ago. None of them have super positive impressions of the school, but none of them have super bad impressions about the school either. It seems to be like LECOM was just an average school. There was a lot to complain about but it was still a decent enough school to make some great physicians.

I will say that I really loved my time at LECOM. I made some great friends and still am in contact with many of the professors 10 years later. They give you the tools to succeed and just like anything or any job in life, none of it is ever 100% perfect, nor will every day or experience be 100% happy. I personally don't get the LECOM hate since they just want you to be competent physicians and be confident in your skills. With that said, no one can tell you what school or experience will make you happy. Just like I went to NYC for residency and everyone raved how lucky I was and what a great city and opportunity, etc. Reality for me was so bad and hateful that I cried every day and left after a week. I doubt I will ever set foot in NYC again. Got to the school where you will be the happiest and most comfortable so you can be successful.