PCOM vs LECOM? And add'l question...

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MaximusD

Anatomically Incorrect
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PCOM vs. LECOM?

Any LECOM students?

Thanks guys!

Oh, and I think my science GPA (for aacomas) is going to be approximately 2.93 is that too low for grade cutoffs...my cum is looking like a 3.24. Oddly enough, my BCPM (for AMCAS) is going to be 3.05 and I got B-'s in both calc classes but I had prereq maths and biostat which I got an A in...

Thanks for your input!
 
Are you looking for a comparison of the schools or just for LECOM students to chime in.
 
drmax said:
I've applied to both and want a comparative analysis...so both.

PCOM is one of the oldest Osteo schools, LECOM is very recent. If you were accepted to both, PCOM is the no brainer.
 
Of couse my answer is biased and i've only been in medical school for ~1 week.

Pros of PCOM:

-Great facilities
*Very Clean and high tech Anatomy lab (At least so far it is)
*24 hour security
*Athletic Center (I usually just play pool and foosball)
-In Philly, but not in the heavy urban area.
-Great Community
*Upper Classmen donate their notes from the previous year
*MP3 lectures
*My class is awesome
*Big Bro/ Big Sis program
*VERY ACTIVE CAMPUS- You can always find something to do (Soccer club, Rugby club, 1st year vs. 2nd year tackle football game, hanging out with fellow Med students in Center City and meeting other medical school students from the 4 other schools in the area.)
*Numerous volunteering opportunities
-Standarized Patients
-Easy access to administrators.
-GREAT REPUTATION




Cons of PCOM

-Cost....but hey Medical Education nowadays is expensive wherever you go.


If you have any specific questions about PCOM shoot me a PM.
 
drmax said:
I've applied to both and want a comparative analysis...so both.

Threads like this so often turn into a pissing contest of "My scool is better than your school." All of the responses are biased for one thing. For another, you don't even know these people. Their needs are bound to be different from yours. The best thing that you can do is visit both of the schools yourself. Talk to the administration, faculty and staff while you are there. Listening to the advice of others can be good sometimes, but you have to be careful about the source. A whole lot of people started out with a list of which schools they liked the best, but changed that list dramatically after a visit to the school. A school who is last on your initial list might end up as your favorite.

Our legal system was set up so that a jury would find the "truth" for every case. But, like someone once said, a jury is actually 12 people who determine which side has the best lawyer. The "truth" rarely even matters. In this case, you are the jury. What you will be deciding in this thread is which school has the best posters. In order to find out the "truth" you need to get out there and see it for yourself.
 
i applied to both, but i know enough about pcom to tell you that it is hands down would be the school to pick over lecom or infact a lot of other DO schools. So yeaa be smart and go to pcom...if you get accepted.
 
PCOM was always my top choice when applying and when it came to accepting interviews, I only visited PCOM and NYCOM. PCOM won that matchup for me.

One of the best things about PCOM for me was location.

80+ hospitals & major medical centers in close proximity. Philadelphia is a medium/large sized, active city that doesnt shut down at 5pm. Its the center of some great sporting events (personally I am anti-eagles, phillies and sixers...flyers are ok!). Art, culture, sports, food, bars. HUGE college town so there is no shortage of people our age (21-28).

For me it was either this (Erie)

erie_downtown.jpg



Or this (Philadelphia)

Philadelphia.JPG
 
I love the skyline especially from the Anatomy lab. 😡
 
medhacker said:

No offense, but this is the dirtiest city I have ever visited. 😳
 
I've never visited LECOM, so I only have second-hand knowledge, but I hear it has a dress code and attendance policy- Personally I wouldn't appreciate learning in such an environment.

I'm sure the quality of their education is great though- it's just not for me.
 
I have two best friends who have just finished up their first year at LECOM and they love the area. They're always spending time at the beach, and hanging out with other students. They do hate a lot of things though. They tell me that they hate the dress code, and sometimes it feels the security there is a little bit over done, by how you have to check in and out when you enter and leave like a military base. They also say that the teachers are awesome but the administration sucks. They were also upset at the end of the year by having to take a self assessment test which didn't count against their grade, it only served to rank them in the class. My buddy told me that he got a 3.8 both semesters and took the self assessment test which ranked him 115 out of 150. So he didn't like how he aced both semesters, but their telling him that he ranks near the bottom of the class. Especially when on the test there were tons of questions dealing with systems that they haven't learned yet.
 
wsucougar said:
I have two best friends who have just finished up their first year at LECOM and they love the area. They're always spending time at the beach, and hanging out with other students. They do hate a lot of things though. They tell me that they hate the dress code, and sometimes it feels the security there is a little bit over done, by how you have to check in and out when you enter and leave like a military base. They also say that the teachers are awesome but the administration sucks. They were also upset at the end of the year by having to take a self assessment test which didn't count against their grade, it only served to rank them in the class. My buddy told me that he got a 3.8 both semesters and took the self assessment test which ranked him 115 out of 150. So he didn't like how he aced both semesters, but their telling him that he ranks near the bottom of the class. Especially when on the test there were tons of questions dealing with systems that they haven't learned yet.

What are they going to do if you refuse to follow the dress code? Kick you out -- I doubt it.
 
Trust me, you don't want to mess with the dress code. They will send you home to change and you will fail anything you miss. They actually have a doc posted at the front door to make sure that all students are in dress code. I grant you, that was a little freaky! :scared:

Other than that, I was very happy with Lecom. In particular, their various learning pathways make the school pretty unique. I loved PBL, and I think that Lecom's focus on clinical training served me very well in my rotations and in internship. The building is beautiful, and the cost of living in Erie can't be beat. Tuition is pretty reasonable, if you can consider medical school tuition anywhere "reasonable." Additionally, there are almost 80 rotation sites in 8 states. This gives you a lot of freedom in 3rd and 4th year. With the exception of making sure that my grades were in the clinical education office, I had almost no dealings with administration during those years.

If you have any specific questions about Lecom, PM me. Good luck! :luck:
 
JPHazelton said:
No offense, but this is the dirtiest city I have ever visited. 😳


Really? I am appalled

Whered did you visit exactly?


BTW is that you hanging out with Dr. Nicholas's other students during OMM lecture?
 
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