why not? what objective factor could be used to rate schools??? PCOM's affilation with philly hospitals and its reputation has got to be helpful for getting residencies.
Here's one objective factor that is very helpful during 3rd/4th year, but no applicants ever mention or think about: associated
GME programs.
http://www.opportunities.osteopathic.org/search/search.cfm
(I like searching either by state or by program)
Dr JPH brought it up in one thread a while back, and it makes perfect sense. Why not go to the school that has the most future connections for post graduate education? The more people you know
(ie Program Directors) the better chance you have of getting into the residency/fellowship of your choice.
After looking at how many GME programs the school has, look to see how many core rotations are done thru those hospitals. That way you not only get to audition for future residencies during 4th year, but also during the 3rd year. You can also look up top hospitals lists such as
US News and see which of those hospitals have departments that are tops in the country; then, if your program has core rotations there, you can ask to do a 3rd year core rotation there, and save a 4th year elective for another specialty/hospital.
Again, if two applicants have the same stats, a PD is more likely to choose the one who he/she is familiar with
(ie. by personal meeting or by school affiliation)
It takes some researching effort to look this all up, but it's worth knowing now instead of regretting your choice when you research this during 3rd/4th year.
👍
(BTW: my #1 priority in choosing schools is total cost)
