PCOM-GA vs KCU vs PCOM

[ADumbMan]

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I happen to be in a very fortunate situation of having multiple acceptances from interviews later into the cycle. I'd love input on career prospects, student culture, etc. Relevant context:

• I still don’t have a great idea of what makes a “good” DO school and what will help set me up for success
• I don't know how to judge the quality of a school's rotation sites
• I am interested in some sort of surgical specialty but I am not settled on what exactly.
• I am married and live in GA, my in-laws are also in GA.
• I have interviewed with PCOM Philly and feel good about my chances.
• I am leaning towards KCU over PCOM-GA, but I'm unsure if I'm missing some key bit of detail
• If I get an acceptance from PCOM, I have no clue how to pick between KCU and PCOM.

PCOM-GA
Pros

• I know people that are DO students there
• Proximity to Family
• Potential grandfathering with federal Grad Plus loans
• In a city where my wife can easily find professional work
• Faculty seem to care about students being successful and matching well
• Seems like there is solid matching into the South East region
• I can maintain contact with my current research job at Emory
• Lectures non-mandatory

Cons

• I know people that are DO students there
• Proximity to Family
• Graded
• Choppy COMLEX performance for the last three classes (<90% in either Level I or Level II)
• The school also tracks STEP 1 & 2 performance under the table, STEP 2 scores for this last year were well below national average for pass rate and score
• Very difficult to get research

KCU
Pros

• Good BBQ
• Solid reputation but not sure how it stacks up against PCOM
• Has a real research building with basic sciences staff that are doing research
• The lightest emphasis on OMM of any DO school I've seen
• A brand new building for classes
• It felt like a real campus and I really liked the students I talked to.
• In house residency programs but it seems like there are in less competitive specialties than PCOM
• Pass/Fail

Cons

• In a city where my wife can't easily find work in her field
• Most expensive option
• Fewer academic centers nearby when compared to PCOM-GA & PCOM
• I'm very unfamiliar with the Midwest and the career opportunities in the region

PCOM
Pros

• Well established/strong reputation
• In a city where my wife can easily find professional work
• I know people that are students in PA medical schools
• strong match list with home residency programs in competitive specialties and in house residency programs
• Lots of research opportunities from other medical schools in the area
• Potential grandfathering with federal Grad Plus loans

Cons

• Graded
• Choppy COMLEX performance for the last three classes, but not as bad as GA
• The most expensive cost of living

TLDR:
I am leaning towards KCU but if I get an acceptance back from PCOM I am unsure of what to do. I don't really know how to judge which school has the better clinical rotation sites and residency connections. I also don't know which school has the better reputation. Please help my wife wants to know if we're moving and she scares me.

 

[FireBirdie]

Sending you good vibes once again 😉

KCU > PCOM-PA > PCOM-GA overall. Reputation and match-strength wise, KCU = PCOM-PA. PCOM-PA might be your best middle ground for you and your wife. Things about a good DO school are things you would think about a good MD school. Boards pass rate, student/faculty culture, clinical sites (travel distance, core area, time to study for shelf/COMAT, and student engagement) research, etc. You can search up KCU's clinical sites on their website, while it's not obvious for PCOM.

List your priorities for yourself and your wife, then compare it to what you know.

 

[ADumbMan]

Sending you good vibes once again 😉

KCU > PCOM-PA > PCOM-GA overall. Reputation and match-strength wise, KCU = PCOM-PA. PCOM-PA might be your best middle ground for you and your wife. Things about a good DO school are things you would think about a good MD school. Boards pass rate, student/faculty culture, clinical sites (travel distance, core area, time to study for shelf/COMAT, and student engagement) research, etc. You can search up KCU's clinical sites on their website, while it's not obvious for PCOM.

List your priorities for yourself and your wife, then compare it to what you know.

Haha good to see you again, I also clocked you from your post. I hope you get off the TUNCOM waitlist.

For the moment I'm going with KCU but if I get the PCOM Philly acceptance I'll probably go with them since it gives my wife more options.

 

[chilly_md]

People's interests often change, but if you feel particularly set on ortho, ENT or optho, those are in-house programs at PCOM. That would be the one major advantage they have.