PCOM vs OU-HCOM

[bluffy]

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Hey everyone, I have been accepted to PCOM and OU-HCOM and would like to get some opinion on which program I should go with. I am looking to pursue emergency medicine or anesthesiology and it appears they both have good match lists with several students matching in these specialties.

OU-HCOM pros:
Cheaper IS tuition (about 35k)
Pass/Fail curriculum
Systems based curriculum with flipped classroom learning
2 hours from family and friends

OU-HCOM cons:
Athens doesn't offer many fun things to do
Daily mandatory attendance for the flipped classroom activities

PCOM pros:
Great reputation
Philadelphia offers a lot of fun things to do outside of being a med student
No mandatory attendance
Systems based curriculum

PCOM cons:
A-F grading system
More expensive tuition (57k)
8 hours from family and friends

Thanks for your input!

 

[SquidLab]

My vote would be for OU-HCOM due to the much lower tuition and proximity to family. My biggest concern is the mandatory lectures. Have you been able to talk to current students to see what they think about it? Good luck with your decision!

 

[davidddddd]

Both are great options. I agree though that Athens feels very rural (which doesn't seem like the ideal place to spend 4 years of your 20/30s). If you could negotiate tuition at PCOM that would be helpful.

 

[caterpillar123]

I had to choose between these two schools and ended up choosing HCOM (but I had the Cleveland campus). For me it was more important to be closer to home, especially since med school is already so hard. If you’re accustomed to living with your family or getting support from them then maybe going 8 hours away is not a good idea.