PCOM or UMDNJ-SOM

[dreamz912]

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Hey everyone! I needed some help, and any comments would be greatly appreciated.
I have acceptances to PCOM and UMDNJ-SOM, and I was wondering if I could get some feedback from current students or anyone in general to tell me which school is better in their opinion, and how they find the professors and lectures, school environment, student life, etc etc. I know DO schools don't have "rankings" but I wanted to know more about the reputations of these schools. I know PCOM has been around for a long time, but also that UMDNJ-SOM is a solid school for being so young.
And if anyone knows who has a better matchlist for residencies and board pass rates?? I don't know much about it but people I have spoken to in the past say both schools are really good.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you.

 

[dakota453]

Hey everyone! I needed some help, and any comments would be greatly appreciated.
I have acceptances to PCOM and UMDNJ-SOM, and I was wondering if I could get some feedback from current students or anyone in general to tell me which school is better in their opinion, and how they find the professors and lectures, school environment, student life, etc etc. I know DO schools don't have "rankings" but I wanted to know more about the reputations of these schools. I know PCOM has been around for a long time, but also that UMDNJ-SOM is a solid school for being so young.
And if anyone knows who has a better matchlist for residencies and board pass rates?? I don't know much about it but people I have spoken to in the past say both schools are really good.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you.

While I believe both schools are excellent I'm picking UMDNJ over PCOM (among others) for a few reasons. First off, everyone gets instate tuition (~23,000) so financially NJ is much nicer. 2. I have seen a NJ match list posted on this site and found it pretty impressive - i have yet to see an official pcom list. 3. smaller class size. 4. UMDNJ administration, faculty, and students made me feel welcome...i frequently had a hard time dealing with PCOM where i felt like more of a number. 5. Since i frequently visit center city philly i find it easier to get there from NJ on the patco train (26 minutes) than from pcom where the traffic is often pretty bad. Both schools are certainly among the best but for me i'm going with NJ.

 

[mshheaddoc]

I'd pick UMDNJ only b/c I really like the school, I'm from jersey and many of the choices as the above student. I know a few students at UMDNJ and they really liked the supportive environment. I've heard nothing but good things from UMDNJ. PCOM I never hear much about, but that's ont he other side of philly so that's maybe why?

 

[Nate]

Congratulations on having this decision, those are two great schools to choose from and you can't go wrong. I cannot say which is better because I have not attended both but I can tell you why I chose UMDNJ over PCOM. The short and sweet of it is tuition cost, saving 15k a year is no small change. The class size was also a big seller for me, I felt like there was a quiet confidence in the students and a cohesion, SOM is a family. Lastly, I felt having a teaching hospital with residents and faculty on campus was the biggest benefit the school could ever offer me. There are many more reasons but those are the big ones.
As for professors and lectures, we have a huge faculty and as most schools we have some really great professors and some not so great professors. Of course this is all opinion and no one will like or love all their professors because everyone has a different style of learning. However, the school is very laid back and we pretty much come and go as we please so you can pick the lectures you want to attend and in what clothing to attend them, this was important to me.
Good luck on your decision and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[KMG365]

I guess PCOM doesn't really publish it's match lists, but I saw the list from the past few years when I interviewed there recently, and suffice it to say, they were pretty much the best lists that I've seen from any osteopathic school. (Not that I'm any kind of an expert, I just thought I'd throw that out there...)

 

[eag]

because of the reasons everyone else said. I'm not sure for PCOM but of the DO schools, SOM is among the top 5. My biggest seller was the class size and the tuition. I'm not from Jersey, but I have been able to take advantage of the in state tuition. Changing resident status was no problem and the school encourages everyone to do that.

 

[dr.z]

I would pick UMDNJ-SOM for reasons posted above. Unfortunately I wasn't eligible to apply there, but it would have been one of my top choice.

 

[ragda26]

Big on Research, small class size, awsome facilities, great administration, top schools for geratrics, low tuition, excellent match list(especially if you want ot stay in state), school is expanding-new NJ Center for Successful Aging and is buying new land to build dorms on campus, very diverse student body, great # of faculty as compared to # of students, Kennedy health system is now a principle hospital, largest GME program amongst all DO schools....cant think of more, but once i got in here, i stopped applying elsewhere.

I know PCOM is a great school as well, but I dont know the exact details.

 

[PlasticMan]

The only thing is, would PCOM be better for specializing? PCOM has lots of residencies at their hospital there. Here is the list from another post on SDN posted by Taus I think.

Here is the list of PCOM's affiliated residencies and spots available. Draw your own conclusions.

Emergency Med - 36
Family Med - 12
General Surgery - 16
Geriatrics - 6
Internal Medicine - 30
Neurosurgery - 6
Ob/gyn - 16
Opthomology - 7
Orthopedic Surgery - 21
OMM - 4
Otorhinolaryngology
Head and Neck Surgery
and Oro-Facial Plastic Surgery - 8
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - 6
Urologic Surgery - 9
Vascular Surgery - 2

 

[dakota453]

Just to be clear...Those are not residency match list statistics for PCOM but rather a list of the residencies offered by PCOM. While PCOM may match very well into these specialities, all DO students from all DO schools can apply to them.

 

[PlasticMan]

Just to be clear...Those are not residency match list statistics for PCOM but rather a list of the residencies offered by PCOM. While PCOM may match very well into these specialities, all DO students from all DO schools can apply to them.

Yes, sorry if I misled otherwise.

 

[Nate]

*not our match-list, these are the programs in our school available to all DO students (albeit there is definite advantage to being a UMDNJ student)*

UMDNJ-SOM residency + fellowship programs:

Lourdes/Kennedy System

Internships (Emphasis: Emergency Medicine,Family Practice,Psychiatry,Surgery-General
Track: Internal Medicine,Obstetrics & Gynecology,Pediatrics 65

Cardiology 6
Critical Care 2
Child Psychiatry 2
Emergency Medicine 22
Family Medicine 30
Gastroenterology 2
Geriatric Medicine 4
Geriatric/ Internal Medicine Dual 2
General Vascular Surgery 3
Infectious Diseases 4
Internal Med/Emergency Med Dual 16
Internal Medicine 33
Nephrology 4
OB/Gyn 22
Otolaryn & Facial Plastic Surg 5
Orthopedic Surgery 16
Psychiatry 12
Pulmonary-Critical Care 2
General Surgery 20
Urological Surgery 4

Barnert Hospital-
Family Practice 12
Internship focus FM 6

Childrens Regional -
Pediatrics 12
Internship focus pediatrics 4

Not to mention being a part of UMDNJ may have some influence on your ability to network with NJMS and RWJ residency programs (faculty in same university). PCOM is also right across from UMDNJ so I believe that both schools have an advantage for each-other's residency programs being that we can shoot over there to shadow or do rotations and they can do the same over here. Like I said, both schools are excellent!

 

[dreamz912]

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all your help.
UMDNJ-SOM had been my first choice, but I had received my PCOM acceptance a few weeks ago. Then after i got the infamous phone call from UMDNJ-SOM yesterday, I was ecstatic! My parents were realllllllly happy for me, however, wanted to me to make sure this is where I wanted to go. They wanted me to research both schools and compare them. But sometimes stats just can't give you the feel of the school. So I thought, what better place to ask than here?? Everyone has made me confident in my decision, and I want to thank everyone who took the time out to offer their opinions. I will be sure to ask about anything else as well.

Thank you!! I'll see some of you in the Fall of '06!!!!! woooo hooooo =)

PS- Nate, i had read your posts before and they gave me a lot of confidence at the time of my interview, and so thank you!!! you help a lot more people than you know!

 

[Hibby417]

I'm actually in the same situation as the OP, and I also appreciate all the responses... But I'm wondering if there are any more PCOM students out there to give a more inside look at the school? Anyone choose PCOM over UMDNJ? UMDNJ and PCOM are my two top choices, and I'm finding it very difficult to choose...
Thanks!

 

[Nate]

By the way, if any of you want to come in and sit with us for classes for a day or hang out just send me a PM and we can arrange something. This can also help you get a feel for the school since your interview day is stressful and you don't get much of a chance to really see much.

 

[dreamz912]

Hey Hibby417, I hope you find the help I got here! But you're right, haven't heard too much from PCOM students, which would balance out the feel of this thread. Any PCOM students that can help us out?

Nate, that sounds like a great idea..definitely something I'd consider.

Does anyone know how long it takes the acceptance packet to arrive after the phone call?

 

[Hibby417]

Does anyone know how long it takes the acceptance packet to arrive after the phone call?

Hey dreamz,
I was told in yesterday's phone call that they were sent out yesterday afternoon and will arrive this week...

 

[DermpathDO]

The only thing is, would PCOM be better for specializing? PCOM has lots of residencies at their hospital there.

PLastic MAN, WHAT hospital??? PCOM does NOT have a hospital....

 

[PlasticMan]

The only thing is, would PCOM be better for specializing? PCOM has lots of residencies at their hospital there.

PLastic MAN, WHAT hospital??? PCOM does NOT have a hospital....

Where is that list I posted above derived from? Hospitals affiliated with PCOM ??? I just copied that list from another thread.

 

[Taus]

No, PCOM does not have a connected Hospital, but this is Philadelphia we're talking about here....w/ 5 other med schools in the area....theres a ton of hospitals around....

 

[PlasticMan]

No, PCOM does not have a connected Hospital, but this is Philadelphia we're talking about here....w/ 5 other med schools in the area....theres a ton of hospitals around....

Are PCOM students looked upon preferably for those residencies, specifically the plastics ones?

 

[Taus]

I can only assume so.....but you might want to try contacting either pcom's grad med education dept or residents themselves to get a real feel for the situation...

 

[PlasticMan]

I can only assume so.....but you might want to try contacting either pcom's grad med education dept or residents themselves to get a real feel for the situation...

Thanks for your help Taus.

 

[BklynWill]

PCOM does not publish an official match list but see my next post to view the unofficial list from 2 years ago...

 

[PlasticMan]

PCOM does not publish an official match list but see my next post to view the unofficial list from 2 years ago...

Patiently waiting 😀

 

[BklynWill]

Here you go... 👍

 

[PlasticMan]

Thanks! I see not one plastics match though 🙁

 

[gotgame83]

Thank you so much!!

 

[Nate]

UMDNJ does not publish their match list either. We have a small class size so the number of people going into a certain specialty can be dramatically different one year from the next. Anyway, if you poke around the internet you can find things and here is the unofficial UMDNJ match list from 2002.

http://www.acofp.org/state/Match Results fÉass of 2002.htm

Match Results for UMDNJ-SOM Class of 2002 and other SOM Graduates



The student’s names have been removed from the original list for confidentiality purposes. Feel free to use it as a resource to see where other students in our school have gone for post-graduate training. If you have questions or would like to know who placed at a particular program (for contact purposes) feel free to contact your UMDNJ ACOFP Student President.




Anesthesiology
Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Farmington, PA (Osteopathic rotating internship)
MCP Hahnemann Univ. Hospital in Philadephia, PA (Allopathic residency)
NYCOM/Union Hospital in Union, NJ (Osteopathic IM internship)
Thomas Jefferson Univ. in Philadelphia, PA (Allopathic residency)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic rotating internship)
MCP Hahnemann Univ. Hospital in Philadelphia, PA (Allopathic residency)
Westchester General Hospital in Miami, FL (Osteopathic rotating internship)
Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL (Allopathic residency)
Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown, PA (Osteopathic rotating internship)
Einstein Hospital in Montefiore, NY (Allopathic residency)
NYCOM/Maimonides Medical Center (Osteopathic rotating internship)
Hospital of the Univ. of PA in Philadelphia, PA (Allopathic residency)

Emergency Medicine
St. Claire’s Hospital in Scanectady, NY (Osteopathic rotating internship)
Lincoln Medical Center in NYC,NY (Allopathic residency)
Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA (Allopathic residency)
PCOM/Philadelphia Consortium in Philadelphia, PA (Osteopathic internship-residency)
NYCOM/NY United Hospital in Chester, NY (Osteopathic internship-residency)
Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic rotating internship)
§ Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown, NJ (Allopathic residency)


ENT/ Oto-Facial Plastic Surgery
· UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic internship-residency)

· Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills, MI (Osteopathic internship-residency)


Family Practice
MWU-CCOM/AZ Consortium in Mesa, AZ (Osteopathic)
UNECOM/Warren Hospital Division in Phillipsburg, NJ (Osteopathic)
Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC, NY (Allopathic)
U. Connecticut in Farmington, CT (Allopathic)
Stanislaus Health Services in Modesto, CA (Allopathic)
UMDNJSOM/ Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
NYCOM/Union Hospital in Union, NJ (Osteopathic)
John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, TX (Allopathic)
UMDNJSOM/St. Francis Hospital in Jersey City, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJ/Overlook Hospital in Summit,NJ (Allopathic)
UMDNJSOM/St. Francis Hospital in Jersey City, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Ft. Gordon, GA (Military)
NSUCOM/Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA (Osteopathic)
UNECOM/Warren Hospital Division in Phillipsburg, NJ (Osteopathic)


General Surgery
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic internship-residency)
Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY (Allopathic residency)
Brookdale Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY (Osteopathic internship-residency)
UMDNJ/NJ Med in Newark, NJ (Allopathic residency)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic rotating internship)
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Med Center in New Brunswick, NJ (Allopathic residency)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic IM internship)
· Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA (Allopathic residency)


Internal Medicine
UMDNJ/NJ Med in Newark, NJ (Allopathic)
Saushec-Brooke Army Medical Center Ft. San Houston in San Antonio,TX (Military)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS (Military)
Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC, NY (Allopathic)
UNECOM/St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, PA (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UMDNJ/NJ Med in Newark, NJ (Allopathic)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic)
UNECOM/St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, PA (Osteopathic)
UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center (Allopathic)


OB/GYN
NYCOM/Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY (Osteopathic internship-residency)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic internship-residency)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic FM internship)
St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ (Allopathic residency)
Staten Island Univ. Hospital in Staten Island, NY (Allopathic residency)

Ophthalmology
NYCOM/St. Barnabas-Newark Beth Israel in Newark, NJ (Osteopathic transitional internship)
UMDNJ/NJ Med in Newark, NJ (allopathic residency)
UNECOM/Univ. of Connecticut in Farmington, CT (Osteopathic transitional internship)
St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburg, PA (Allopathic residency)


Orthopedic Surgery
· UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic internship-residency)

· Penisula Hospital Center in Far Rockaway, NY (Osteopathic Internship and residency)



Pathology
Univ. of Hawaii (Allopathic residency)

Pediatrics
NYCOM/Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY (Osteopathic internship-residency)
PCOM/Geisinger Health System in Danville, PA (Osteopathic internship-residency)
NYCOM/St. Barnabas/Newark Beth Israel in Newark, NJ (Osteopathic internship-residency)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic rotating internship)
Atlantic Health System/CooperHospital in Camden, NJ (Allopathic residency)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic rotating internship)
Altantic Health System/Cooper Hospital in Camden, NJ (Allopathic residency)




Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
· UNECOM/Memorial Health Care System in Worchester, MA (Osteopathic rotating internship)

· UMDNJ/NJ Medical Center in Newark, NJ (Allopathic residency)

· Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia, PA (Osteopathic internship)

UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick, NJ (Allopathic residency)

Psychiatry
Georgetown Univ. Hospital in Washington, DC (Allopathic residency)
Medical Univ. of South Carolina in Charleston, SC (Allopathic residency in IM/PSYCH)
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ (Osteopathic internship-residency)


Radiology
NYCOM/St. Barnabas in Bronx, NY (Osteopathic internship and residency)
Delaware County/Crozer-Keystone in Drexil Hill, PA (Allopathic internship)
Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY (Allopathic residency)
Westchester General Hospital in Miami, FL (Osteopathic rotating internship)
Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA (Allopathic residency)


Traditional Osteopathic Rotating Internship
UNECOM/Univ. of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, CT
NYCOM/Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY
PCOM/Lehigh Valley/Muhlenberg in Bethlehem, PA
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ
UNECOM/Univ. of Connecticut in Farmington, CT
MWU-AZCOM/Kingman Regional Medical Center in Kingman, AZ
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ
UNECOM/Univ. of Connecticut in Farmington, CT
UNECOM/Univ. of Connecticut in Farmington, CT
Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia, PA
UMDNJSOM/Kennedy Health System in Stratford, NJ
Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia, PA

 

[Nate]

Thanks! I see not one plastics match though 🙁

It may mean no one went for it, or it may mean only one person went for it and didn't get it, or it may mean someone is doing a rotating internship and applying for it later, it can mean lots of things so don't feel because in one match list someone didn't match into something that it is not possible. Plastics is very competitive MD route or DO route but possible.

 

[PlasticMan]

It may mean no one went for it, or it may mean only one person went for it and didn't get it, or it may mean someone is doing a rotating internship and applying for it later, it can mean lots of things so don't feel because in one match list someone didn't match into something that it is not possible. Plastics is very competitive MD route or DO route but possible.

Yeah after I posted that I did some reading in the plastic surgery forum and found that integrated plastics residencies are somewhat newer and very ahrd to obtain; however, the traditional way is to do general surgery residency followed by either plastics fellowship or cosmetic fellowship. And I see a good number of DO match lists with plenty of Gen Surgery matches 😀

 

[Hibby417]

I'm impressed by both of these match lists (should I be?? I'm new at this, ha...). Thanks to everyone for their info and advice--it's nice to interact with the DO community already.

 

[JonnyG]

The rotating internship is to fulfill PA's pesky requirement. As far as I saw every rotating intership was for a PA hospital. Most people do go on to specialize after.

 

[fullefect1]

While I believe both schools are excellent I'm picking UMDNJ over PCOM (among others) for a few reasons. First off, everyone gets instate tuition (~23,000) so financially NJ is much nicer. 2. I have seen a NJ match list posted on this site and found it pretty impressive - i have yet to see an official pcom list. 3. smaller class size. 4. UMDNJ administration, faculty, and students made me feel welcome...i frequently had a hard time dealing with PCOM where i felt like more of a number. 5. Since i frequently visit center city philly i find it easier to get there from NJ on the patco train (26 minutes) than from pcom where the traffic is often pretty bad. Both schools are certainly among the best but for me i'm going with NJ.

Everyone gets instate tuition for the first year?

 

[dakota453]

Everyone gets instate tuition for the first year?

As long as you can show a NJ apartment lease and obtain a NJ drivers license.

 

[gotgame83]

Giving away all the secrets tsk tsk tsk lol

 

[dakota453]

Giving away all the secrets tsk tsk tsk lol

During the interview at UMDNJ-SOM they told us that they want everyone to get in state tuition and will work with incoming students to ensure that this is the case. They spelled out how easy it is and told us exactly what we'd have to do - the lease and license thing. It's not really a secret and i'm sure if you interview there they will tell you the same thing. UMDNJ-SOM is an opportunity to get a great medical education at a great price.

 

[Hibby417]

Any current PCOM-ers that chose PCOM over UMDNJ?? I'm having a tough time deciding and would like more info on PCOM... Also, any successful PCOM applicants going to the luncheon on December 9th? Thanks!

 

[gotgame83]

Bump this up. Hopefully this will be a decision I will have to make in the upcoming monthes...

 

[DOctorJay]

check out ENT/Plastics, I'm not sure if you want to do facial or breast but SOM has an ENT residency and that is listed.

I also chose SOM over PCOM (PCOM got a deposit from me and everything) but I just felt more at home at SOM (and my loans are going to be substantially less).

It all comes down to you though and where YOU are comfortable, many people from my class (second year) have written tons of stuff on the school here so whenever the search function is back online you guys will find more info.

(Nate thanks for stepping up to the plate!)

-J OMS-II

 

[PlasticMan]

check out ENT/Plastics, I'm not sure if you want to do facial or breast but SOM has an ENT residency and that is listed.

I also chose SOM over PCOM (PCOM got a deposit from me and everything) but I just felt more at home at SOM (and my loans are going to be substantially less).

It all comes down to you though and where YOU are comfortable, many people from my class (second year) have written tons of stuff on the school here so whenever the search function is back online you guys will find more info.

(Nate thanks for stepping up to the plate!)

-J OMS-II

I would like to do body and face cosmetic plastic surgery. I guess the route for that is general surgery residency -> plastics fellowship OR general surgery -> cosmetic fellowship OR integrated plastics residency ?

 

[KMMD]

I'm interested in very much the same thing as you PlasticMan, and I'm choosing PCOM. PCOM and OUCOM are the only schools with Plastic Surgery Fellowships available. I am not sure about OUCOM, but if you look at the PCOM website there are 6 funded fellowship positions at PCOM... and I plan to get one of them someday 😀 . Hope this helps.

 

[PlasticMan]

I'm interested in very much the same thing as you PlasticMan, and I'm choosing PCOM. PCOM and OUCOM are the only schools with Plastic Surgery Fellowships available. I am not sure about OUCOM, but if you look at the PCOM website there are 6 funded fellowship positions at PCOM... and I plan to get one of them someday 😀 . Hope this helps.

How hard is it to come by an allopathic plastics fellowship after completing a general surgery residency? BTW, I've heard cosmetic plastics fellowships are rather easy to attain. Can anyone verify this?

 

[Taus]

Its finally thanksgiving break....so now I have time to give some input here on why PCOM for me. I did not apply to UMDNJ so I can't comment on it and this is in no way a comparison of the two....just my feelings on my school. Here's a quick list of reasons I chose PCOM in no particular order:

1. Involvement of the students w/ the school...forms an actual campus/friendly feel to it that was much different than the other schools I interviewed at. I came from PSU, where being involved in clubs and other school related activities was huge, so I wanted to continue that. Theres a connected full size football/soccer field and really nice indoor fitness center (not a big surprise for me considering the 76'ers practice here). Clubs and IM teams are able to use these facilities for all of our different IM/club sports teams.

2. Location in Philly....right outside the city so you can get all the advantages of having the huge amt. of philly hospitals close by and everything else that the city offers...while still being able to live outside the city in a relatively suburban area. Nothing against urban living, but I feel comfortable and at home living w/ a more a suburban feel. Having Manayunk within a few miles is also pretty cool.

3. Integrated, organ based curriculum...really seems to put together all of the basic science knowledge with clinical knowledge

4. Reputation within the medical community, especially here in Philly. Nurses and Doctors that I have talked to have always told me that the PCOM students that they work with are always among the nicest and most knowledgeable during rotations. They hardly ever come accross as arrogant and are mostly very outgoing. Not sure how much this one here played into my choice, but it was definitely a plus.

5. Overall quality and technology of the facilities. Everything is extremely nicely maintained and the a/v integration w/ the classes is pretty good. Yeah, theres some glitches here and there, but overall its a nice set-up.

6. Not sure how important this was, but the cafeteria food is actually really good.

7. They actually seemed to give a $hit about me during my interview and asked some good questions related to my previous experiences, rather then just looking at my numbers and asking the standard bs. questions.

8. They accepted me.

I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now.....but b/c its thanksgiving break and I actually have some free time for once....if you ask specific questions I'll answer to the best of my ability

 

[dreamz912]

hey Taus,

just wondering why you didn't apply to UMDNJ SOM?? had you considered it at all during the application process? I was just wondering bc it is so close to Philly, so based on location, could've been a possibility. Just curious, that's all!

 

[Taus]

In all honesty....I have no good reason why I didn't apply there...from what I hear now it looks like a great school and I would of had a tough choice had I known about SDN.....so basically I didn't know anything about it and everyone I knew (at psu) always talked up pcom. I did the medschool app. process mostly on my own, so all the info I had was either from word of mouth, or the barrons book of med school info/stats.

I am very happy with my choice to attend PCOM, but I probably would have at least explored other options such as NJ if I had known anything about it.

 

[JonnyG]

Its finally thanksgiving break....so now I have time to give some input here on why PCOM for me. I did not apply to UMDNJ so I can't comment on it and this is in no way a comparison of the two....just my feelings on my school. Here's a quick list of reasons I chose PCOM in no particular order:

1. Involvement of the students w/ the school...forms an actual campus/friendly feel to it that was much different than the other schools I interviewed at. I came from PSU, where being involved in clubs and other school related activities was huge, so I wanted to continue that. Theres a connected full size football/soccer field and really nice indoor fitness center (not a big surprise for me considering the 76'ers practice here). Clubs and IM teams are able to use these facilities for all of our different IM/club sports teams.

2. Location in Philly....right outside the city so you can get all the advantages of having the huge amt. of philly hospitals close by and everything else that the city offers...while still being able to live outside the city in a relatively suburban area. Nothing against urban living, but I feel comfortable and at home living w/ a more a suburban feel. Having Manayunk within a few miles is also pretty cool.

3. Integrated, organ based curriculum...really seems to put together all of the basic science knowledge with clinical knowledge

4. Reputation within the medical community, especially here in Philly. Nurses and Doctors that I have talked to have always told me that the PCOM students that they work with are always among the nicest and most knowledgeable during rotations. They hardly ever come accross as arrogant and are mostly very outgoing. Not sure how much this one here played into my choice, but it was definitely a plus.

5. Overall quality and technology of the facilities. Everything is extremely nicely maintained and the a/v integration w/ the classes is pretty good. Yeah, theres some glitches here and there, but overall its a nice set-up.

6. Not sure how important this was, but the cafeteria food is actually really good.

7. They actually seemed to give a $hit about me during my interview and asked some good questions related to my previous experiences, rather then just looking at my numbers and asking the standard bs. questions.

8. They accepted me.

I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now.....but b/c its thanksgiving break and I actually have some free time for once....if you ask specific questions I'll answer to the best of my ability

I will second all theses. Even though there is a large class it doesn't feel like it and the faculty really do try to know you on a personal level. Plus a big class has advantages of allowing you to do more.

Finally, being one of the oldest osteopathic schools has its advantages. Doctors know PCOM when they here the name.

I did apply and got into SOM, felt more at home at PCOM though

 

[dreamz912]

Thank you for answering my question Taus. I must admit, PCOM is a lovely school. i really liked the place. I just felt more at home when i was at SOM. But thank you for taking the time out to help us out 🙂

 

[Taus]

not a problem....the best advice that I think anyone can give you is to go where you feel at home...you can't go wrong with that...

 

[PCOM_08]

Ok - after reading all of these posts, I feel inclined to respond with my personal story. I am currently a 2nd year student at PCOM and have never been happier in my life. When I was interviewing, I did interview at UMDNJ-SOM as well as PCOM, and yes, I was accepted to both. When I was beginning to interview, I was told by an admissions officer at a medical school I visited to never to allow finances to rule in or rule out a school because 'you can find the money'. While money does, of course, play a major role in our lives when it comes to tuition payments and debt, as physicians we will all be able to pay back this money at some point, and the only difference is how long this process will take. I chose PCOM for more reasons than I can name. First, I sat in on a class at UMDNJ and while everyone boasts about the small class size, I found it extremely uncomfortable as I sat in what I felt was too small of a classroom to hold this 'small class size.' To allow me to sit in the class, students had to move and sit on tables that ran the perimeter of the room. When I came to PCOM, I had the opportunity to sit in the state-of-the-art lecture halls with more room than you can imagine. While everyone likes to point out PCOM's 'big' class size - - it really is not that big. In fact, if you were to put me in front of the class, I could name most, if not all, students in the class. After my acceptance to UMDNJ, I was offered a large sum of money by the school to attend, and still found that PCOM was right for me. With its system-based learning (which is absoulely amazing and should truly be considered when choosing a medical school), family-like feel, up to date EVERYTHING, and its fantastic reputation within both the osteopathic as well as the allopathic communities, I couldn't help but put the difference in finances in the back seat. With this said, I do feel that everyone should pick what school makes them feel the most comfortable. And yes, while I may have a bias because I currently attend PCOM, I feel that I have to encourage those of you that are applying to please try not to make tuition your decision-maker- try to allow other criteria that truly will have an impact on your career (such as curriculum, OMM, standardized patient learning, etc.) first. While I don't think SOM is a bad school (it also has a great reputation) I must admit that if I had let money make my decision, I would be a 2nd year student who owed half the money of a PCOM student but would not be anywhere near as happy as I am now. I am not saying that everyone who picks SOM will be unhappy, I am just saying that make your decisions wisely and not based on money -because you will make it and be able to pay it back eventually -the only difference is your happiness at the school you pick. What good is it being unhappy but less in -debt? ps don't worry so much about the match - if you work hard and do everything you can, you will match...for now, I'd worry about making the right choice to the school you will be representing when you do match..