Please help me....CCOM vs COMP(Western U.)

[mdcool]

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Hello~
I really need your help here...please.
Honestly, I can't decide where I shoud go. I know both of them are great schools.
However, I would like to decide based on the clinical rotations, early clinical exposure, student body, location, and so on.

Please help me here....I really appreciate it. 😳

 

[melancholy]

Both of these schools have message threads in these forums that you could possibly ask questions on. There may also be other message threads where applicants in your place have asked similiar questions, so don't be afraid to do more looking around to find the answers you are looking for.

Depending on your location, if you are close to one of the schools, try to schedule another visit to talk to as many students as possible and get a feel for the environment. It may be an investment of time, money, and energy, but it is probably worth it to decide where you will be spending the next four years of your medical school training at.

 

[md10]

Hello~
I really need your help here...please.
Honestly, I can't decide where I shoud go. I know both of them are great schools.
However, I would like to decide based on the clinical rotations, early clinical exposure, student body, location, and so on.

Please help me here....I really appreciate it. 😳

hey, i was about to post the same EXACT question....have you found anything in other threads? i have not....i'm absolutely torn where to choose!

 

[md10]

anyone?

 

[the1doc]

anyone?

I was accepted at both schools and I ended up choosing CCOM. CCOM is located in a much nicer community, the rotations are better (more hospitals, excellent reputation in those hospitals), it is more established (been around for 100+ years), the campus much nicer, the area is safer, etc.

The only negatives I see at CCOM is a demanding class schedule (8-5 basically every day), a demanding exam schedule (25-30 per quarter), and the cold weather in the winter. I am not sure exactly what the class and exam schedule is at COMP, but I don't believe it is quite as demanding. The condensed schedule at CCOM is due to a slightly longer summer break than most med schools have. I'm also not sure how the prices compare, but CCOM is pretty expensive.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[melancholy]

I was accepted at both schools and I ended up choosing CCOM. CCOM is located in a much nicer community, the rotations are better (more hospitals, excellent reputation in those hospitals), it is more established (been around for 100+ years), the campus much nicer, the area is safer, etc.

The only negatives I see at CCOM is a demanding class schedule (8-5 basically every day), a demanding exam schedule (25-30 per quarter), and the cold weather in the winter. I am not sure exactly what the class and exam schedule is at COMP, but I don't believe it is quite as demanding. The condensed schedule at CCOM is due to a slightly longer summer break than most med schools have. I'm also not sure how the prices compare, but CCOM is pretty expensive.

Good luck in your decision.

As I stated before, there are a lot of factors that go into finding the best fit medical school, but having a good feel about the school is a big one. There have been some threads comparing COMP to TUCOM and not necessarily COMP to CCOM.

In response to the comments about CCOM, I can say that COMP could possibly be just as expensive as CCOM although it shouldn't be hard to find that information after interviewing at these schools.

Weather is a bit nicer in southern california.

CCOM has been around longer and does have great hospitals, but I will say that COMP has some decent training sites and being in the area to rotate at other training sites in the LA/Orange County/San Bernardino regions is a nice advantage depending on what locations you are looking to do your training in.

The area around COMP is much better than many other schools and security seems to be improving more and more. They have also opened new apartments directly across the street from school made specifically for students. There are also plenty of very nice areas within a 4-10 minute drive that many students live in.

Our new curriculum is probably less strenuous hour-wise than what was described for CCOM.

I think you'd get great training at both places, but you should definitely try to get more feedback if possible and try hard to define what your top priorities are.

 

[melancholy]

I was accepted at both schools and I ended up choosing CCOM. CCOM is located in a much nicer community, the rotations are better (more hospitals, excellent reputation in those hospitals), it is more established (been around for 100+ years), the campus much nicer, the area is safer, etc.

The only negatives I see at CCOM is a demanding class schedule (8-5 basically every day), a demanding exam schedule (25-30 per quarter), and the cold weather in the winter. I am not sure exactly what the class and exam schedule is at COMP, but I don't believe it is quite as demanding. The condensed schedule at CCOM is due to a slightly longer summer break than most med schools have. I'm also not sure how the prices compare, but CCOM is pretty expensive.

Good luck in your decision.

As I stated before, there are a lot of factors that go into finding the best fit medical school, but having a good feel about the school is a big one. There have been some threads comparing COMP to TUCOM and not necessarily COMP to CCOM.

In response to the comments about CCOM, I can say that COMP could possibly be just as expensive as CCOM although it shouldn't be hard to find that information after interviewing at these schools.

Weather is a bit nicer in southern california.

CCOM has been around longer and does have great hospitals, but I will say that COMP has some decent training sites and being in the area to rotate at other training sites in the LA/Orange County/San Bernardino regions is a nice advantage depending on what locations you are looking to do your training in.

The area around COMP is much better than many other schools and security seems to be improving more and more. They have also opened new apartments directly across the street from school made specifically for students. There are also plenty of very nice areas within a 4-10 minute drive that many students live in.

Our new curriculum is probably less strenuous hour-wise than what was described for CCOM.

I think you'd get great training at both places, but you should definitely try to get more feedback if possible and try hard to define what your top priorities are.

Good luck!

 

[Doctor Bagel]

When I first started applying CCOM and COMP were my top choices because of location, but I wound up liking other schools better after visiting. Anyway, I think if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick CCOM unless weather/location was a huge issue. CCOM seems to win in terms of board passage rates and match lists. COMP's new curriculum sounds really neat, though, and OMM's a bigger deal at COMP than at CCOM. COMP had some problems in the past (do a search), and they're really addressing them, imo.

So, umm, I think both are good. Where did you feel more of a fit?

 

[melancholy]

When I first started applying CCOM and COMP were my top choices because of location, but I wound up liking other schools better after visiting. Anyway, I think if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick CCOM unless weather/location was a huge issue. CCOM seems to win in terms of board passage rates and match lists. COMP's new curriculum sounds really neat, though, and OMM's a bigger deal at COMP than at CCOM. COMP had some problems in the past (do a search), and they're really addressing them, imo.

So, umm, I think both are good. Where did you feel more of a fit?

Just out of curiousity, where have you seen CCOM's match list posted on the internet? It's annoying that there's never a standardized location for every medical school to list their match lists..

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Just out of curiousity, where have you seen CCOM's match list posted on the internet? It's annoying that there's never a standardized location for every medical school to list their match lists..

here ya go -- http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=175626. it's not standardized, but it's the closest thing we've got. 🙂

in reference to my previous statement that ccom has a slightly better match list, mainly it's because ccom has more people specialize.

 

[melancholy]

here ya go -- http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=175626. it's not standardized, but it's the closest thing we've got. 🙂

in reference to my previous statement that ccom has a slightly better match list, mainly it's because ccom has more people specialize.

Took a look at the latest CCOM match list on that thread.. thanks. My first impression was that many of the specialties that were matched to were mostly in the mid-west region. My second thought was that because Illinois is a stronger DO state and in a region with more DO programs in general, there tended to be more specialty matches due to their availability in the DO match. The west coast unfortunately has much less numbers in terms of osteopathic residency spots for many specialties, so you will notice on the breakdown of schools in terms of what % match to DO internships or residencies, west coast schools tend to have more students going allopathic match instead.

That being said, I looked at this year's match stats and COMP and CCOM are basically similiar in terms of how many students matched DO internships/residencies. I do think that the higher number of DO specialty residency spots in the mid-west region does help students within those regions acquire osteopathic residency training in the specialty of their choice.

So, location can definitely make a difference depending on your preferences although if you are willing to travel during rotations to get necessary exposure to certain residency programs, that is certainly something you can do to increase your chances.

While I am enjoying California weather, I did recently visit Chicago for the first time since I was born and I must say the downtown area is a definite plus although I don't know much about the suburbs or the location where CCOM specifically is.

 

[NonTradMed]

I never interviewed at COMP, but CCOM was one of my top choices. I loved that school for a number of reasons, not least of which was location. Chicago is a great town, and CCOM is in the 'burbs' of the city. More importantly, CCOM has a long history (over a 100 years), it has established residencies in the city, and you can do all your clinical rotations in chicagoland, so no relocating for 3rd and 4th years. It has a lot of hospital affliates so you get plenty of choices. As other posters have mentioned, you get a lot of specialty choices with CCOM since it's located in a DO friendly state. Also, the campus is nice, it has a real 'campus' feel to it. I don't think you can go wrong with CCOM. 👍

 

[Dr Alo]

You know what I am going to say... lol

We have great rotation sites and an amazing reputation. We have a 95% fill rate for one of your top 2 choices for residency, whereas the nationwide average is like 65%.
You can read more about our great rotations on my blog.

 

[mdcool]

How about Western Univ.(COMP).
Does anyone from COMP want to share his or her personal experience?

Thank you again...I really appreciate it. 🙂

 

[OnMyWayThere]

How about Western Univ.(COMP).
Does anyone from COMP want to share his or her personal experience?

Thank you again...I really appreciate it. 🙂

Non stop studying (we have our first Neuro test on tuesday). Honestly, i don't see how any other school would differ first 2 years. It's all study and it's nice to be close to family for the minor time off (and in Southern Cali). I like COMP. Like most schools, there are issues, but overall I'm happy I chose to come here. I hear the rotations sites are good, but there are some problems with the rotations office (I hear this constantly from upperclassmen). There is no perfect school though. 👍

 

[md10]

Non stop studying (we have our first Neuro test on tuesday). Honestly, i don't see how any other school would differ first 2 years. It's all study and it's nice to be close to family for the minor time off (and in Southern Cali). I like COMP. Like most schools, there are issues, but overall I'm happy I chose to come here. I hear the rotations sites are good, but there are some problems with the rotations office (I hear this constantly from upperclassmen). There is no perfect school though. 👍

Thanks for posting feedback OnMyWayThere! It would be so helpful for me if you could give a bit of detail about the problems you're mentioning....one detail or story might make a huge difference...also, how do you feel about the in-class time?? is that a huge plus?

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Thanks for posting feedback OnMyWayThere! It would be so helpful for me if you could give a bit of detail about the problems you're mentioning....one detail or story might make a huge difference...also, how do you feel about the in-class time?? is that a huge plus?

Problems would be losing good teachers due to whatever reason and then we get some ridiculous teachers hired (which I bet they can't foresee when they hire them) - but administation is on our side and works with us to get replacements or throw out their questions. The new curriculum this semester did not work out very well with our first course, although last semester it was GOLDEN. Admin I hear is adding an extra week for the course that ended up being overwhelming. One thing you should be clear on is that administration solves these problems, or tries to. I wouldn't let it deter you away from the school. The class time is wonderful. We're out at 12 usually with the exception of OMM and Clinical Medicine where we see patients (total: twice a week). And the lectures are online if you don't make it to class. The courses are demanding, but we have tutors - like once a week now we have a 2nd year come into our classroom afterhours and hold a Nuero review, sponsored by the school.

 

[md10]

Problems would be losing good teachers due to whatever reason and then we get some ridiculous teachers hired (which I bet they can't foresee when they hire them) - but administation is on our side and works with us to get replacements or throw out their questions. The new curriculum this semester did not work out very well with our first course, although last semester it was GOLDEN. Admin I hear is adding an extra week for the course that ended up being overwhelming. One thing you should be clear on is that administration solves these problems, or tries to. I wouldn't let it deter you away from the school. The class time is wonderful. We're out at 12 usually with the exception of OMM and Clinical Medicine where we see patients (total: twice a week). And the lectures are online if you don't make it to class. The courses are demanding, but we have tutors - like once a week now we have a 2nd year come into our classroom afterhours and hold a Nuero review, sponsored by the school.

awsome...your response i mean, not the problems, .... do you have any idea if better biochem teachers are going to be hired? are they keeping the replacement??? thanks again! have you heard what others think about learning the systems second year? are they satisfied?

 

[melancholy]

You know what I am going to say... lol

We have great rotation sites and an amazing reputation. We have a 95% fill rate for one of your top 2 choices for residency, whereas the nationwide average is like 65%.
You can read more about our great rotations on my blog.

As stated before, CCOM and Chicago definitely has a number of osteopathic residencies in the area for students to apply to. The proximity to a number of other mid-west states with strong osteopathic roots can be a plus as well. The west coast is a different story when it comes to the number of osteopathic residencies in general which is why many students opt for the allopathic match for residency. However, there are advantages to being somewhat "local" to many of these allopathic programs on the west coast.

Location plays a greater role than many realize in decisions on where to attend medical school.

 

[md10]

Hello~
I really need your help here...please.
Honestly, I can't decide where I shoud go. I know both of them are great schools.
However, I would like to decide based on the clinical rotations, early clinical exposure, student body, location, and so on.

Please help me here....I really appreciate it. 😳

Hey mdcool! have you come to any decisions yet??

~md10 🙂

 

[OnMyWayThere]

awsome...your response i mean, not the problems, .... do you have any idea if better biochem teachers are going to be hired? are they keeping the replacement??? thanks again! have you heard what others think about learning the systems second year? are they satisfied?

People are generally happy in both 1st and 2nd year. Like I said, overall I am very happy at COMP as are the 2nd years I've spoken to. If I could do it over again, I'd still go to COMP. If you talk to the honest people who aren't all into "protecting their school", you will see that all schools have their share of issues - the ones I've experienced so far are pretty minor. Hope to see you in August

 

[mdcool]

Hey mdcool! have you come to any decisions yet??

~md10 🙂

Honestly...I am not sure yet!
However, I will make decision by the end of March.
Hopely~~~~~~

 

[md10]

People are generally happy in both 1st and 2nd year. Like I said, overall I am very happy at COMP as are the 2nd years I've spoken to. If I could do it over again, I'd still go to COMP. If you talk to the honest people who aren't all into "protecting their school", you will see that all schools have their share of issues - the ones I've experienced so far are pretty minor. Hope to see you in August

thanks for being frank! COMP seems great, and i'm 97% sure i'm gonna be there in august....

 

[dr.z]

thanks for being frank! COMP seems great, and i'm 97% sure i'm gonna be there in august....

👍

 

[bbake87]

I was accepted at both schools and I ended up choosing CCOM. CCOM is located in a much nicer community, the rotations are better (more hospitals, excellent reputation in those hospitals), it is more established (been around for 100+ years), the campus much nicer, the area is safer, etc.

The only negatives I see at CCOM is a demanding class schedule (8-5 basically every day), a demanding exam schedule (25-30 per quarter), and the cold weather in the winter. I am not sure exactly what the class and exam schedule is at COMP, but I don't believe it is quite as demanding. The condensed schedule at CCOM is due to a slightly longer summer break than most med schools have. I'm also not sure how the prices compare, but CCOM is pretty expensive.

Good luck in your decision.

I am currently an MSI at CCOM and I pretty much echo everything the1doc has to say. Class schedules are demanding, but I found that I can skip pretty much any lecture (and also the occasional OMM lab) that I want b/c the notes that are issued to you are quite thorough. this quarter we had 18 exams, but that is including practicals. I find time to exericse everyday, go out 1 a week and watch sportscenter (and get good grades) so it is doable. CCOM is damn expensive though. Overall I give it 10 thumbs up

 

[kahoo99]

Are the notes good enough at COMP to not attend lectures?

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Are the notes good enough at COMP to not attend lectures?

Yes - sometimes we get remarks on test days from teachers in line with " I did not realize there are so many of you in this class".

 

[kahoo99]

excellent...

 

[dr.z]

Yes - sometimes we get remarks on test days from teachers in line with " I did not realize there are so many of you in this class".

 

[mdcool]

Thank you for your input..... ^^

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

The reason that CCOM's schedule is so demanding, more so than most other DO schools is because of the fact that we start late (after labor day) and get out relatively early (May 19th). As a result, everything is compressed, so while you are in school, it sucks, but while you have 3.5months of summer vacation, it kicks ass.

Its not that bad, but this third quarter is when **** is about to hit the fan.

Also, despite how difficult it is, I one up bbake. I go to the gym twice a day and I still get good grades 😉

 

[bbake87]

Hey between Bernz and Buckeye why don't we just have a jack up bbake thread. Also, the third quarter of 2nd year at CCOM is really chill so you have ample time to prep for boards thus first year is top heavy

The reason that CCOM's schedule is so demanding, more so than most other DO schools is because of the fact that we start late (after labor day) and get out relatively early (May 19th). As a result, everything is compressed, so while you are in school, it sucks, but while you have 3.5months of summer vacation, it kicks ass.

Its not that bad, but this third quarter is when **** is about to hit the fan.

Also, despite how difficult it is, I one up bbake. I go to the gym twice a day and I still get good grades 😉

 

[sga814]

As a former DO applicant- I can tell you with some confidence that Western is more competitive that CCOM (got my interview there 5 months after Chicago)... If that factor is at all important in your decision-making... then there ya go.. also- LA is warm... mmmm warm

 

[NewNick]

As a former DO applicant- I can tell you with some confidence that Western is more competitive that CCOM (got my interview there 5 months after Chicago)

That's not a valid argument to prove one school is more competitive than the other. 🙂

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

As a former DO applicant- I can tell you with some confidence that Western is more competitive that CCOM (got my interview there 5 months after Chicago)... If that factor is at all important in your decision-making... then there ya go.. also- LA is warm... mmmm warm

I fail to see the logic in that argument.

 

[melancholy]

LA is warm... mmmm warm

I whole-heartedly agree with this last statement.

 

[dr.z]

As a former DO applicant- I can tell you with some confidence that Western is more competitive that CCOM (got my interview there 5 months after Chicago)... If that factor is at all important in your decision-making... then there ya go.. also- LA is warm... mmmm warm

I got into COMP before CCOM.

 

[Dr. Don]

well according to the US News and World Report, COMP is the most competitive DO school to get into....whatever that means 😉

 

[NonTradMed]

As a former DO applicant- I can tell you with some confidence that Western is more competitive that CCOM (got my interview there 5 months after Chicago)... If that factor is at all important in your decision-making... then there ya go.. also- LA is warm... mmmm warm

Or it could just be that CCOM has a more efficient admissions process. 😀 😉

 

[Jinyaoysiu]

well according to the US News and World Report, COMP is the most competitive DO school to get into....whatever that means 😉

I heard that it doesn't mean that COMP has the lowest acceptance rate, but it's because currently COMP students have the highest MCAT&GPA of all DO schools.

 

[EastCoaster78]

I heard that it doesn't mean that COMP has the lowest acceptance rate, but it's because currently COMP students have the highest MCAT&GPA of all DO schools.

being the most competitive in terms of GPA and MCAT does not nesisarilly make a school "the best"
In COMPs case it is all about location. California med schools admissions are more competitive in general than the rest of the US.

 

[NonTradMed]

being the most competitive in terms of GPA and MCAT does not nesisarilly make a school "the best"
In COMPs case it is all about location. California med schools admissions are more competitive in general than the rest of the US.

Have to agree with this....I haven't met a Californian that didn't want to stay there for med school. As a result, I think we see a lot more people applying for limited spots who may otherwise apply to out of state schools.

 

[RUKE]

I am a grad from CCOM and have nothing but great things to say for the program. It is very demanding but you will be very well prepared for your clinical rotations. Almost all of my classmates matched into the residencies they wanted. It is a great school and you will be very pleased with your choice if you decide to attend. Good luck to all of you as it is a great adventure.

 

[Skooled2much]

Can you send a link to that site? or post the list of 'most competitive DO schools' I have a hard time believing that this is little more than rumor and hype.
also, can anybody address the pros and cons of COMP's new curriculum?

well according to the US News and World Report, COMP is the most competitive DO school to get into....whatever that means 😉

 

[melancholy]

Can you send a link to that site? or post the list of 'most competitive DO schools' I have a hard time believing that this is little more than rumor and hype.
also, can anybody address the pros and cons of COMP's new curriculum?

http://www.westernu.edu/xp/communique/5/know.xml

Also found here on KCOM's website:

http://www.kcom.edu/faculty/chamberlain/ranmcat.htm

This looks familiar and it might have been mentioned in another similiar message thread regarding COMP or other DO schools recently.

Multiple threads have been running within the last few weeks regarding the pros and cons of COMP's new curriculum which is still being improved upon as the first class finishes off their second semester of their first year there. A quick search on this topic (maybe using keywords like curriculum and COMP) will provide a lot of useful information you may be looking for. I am positive the message threads are there, but there have been so many identical questions in different threads that it is gets a little hard trying to answer the same thing everything time.

Good luck!

 

[Skooled2much]

melancholy -
thanks! those are great links!
are you lovin' comp? will you post on my other thread?

Student Doctor Network Forums > Medical Student Forums > Osteopathic
Choosing YOUR medical school...

 

[hotlikebutter]

melancholy -
thanks! those are great links!
are you lovin' comp? will you post on my other thread?

Student Doctor Network Forums > Medical Student Forums > Osteopathic
Choosing YOUR medical school...

havent posted in a long time. school's been nuts.

I interviewed and accepted both at COMP and CCOM, and you are right to realize you have a tough position. both schools are really good.

my advice, is pick the school you will feel contributes best to your profession in the long run, not just the four years you are there. now that all depends on what kind of person/doctor you are going to be later. CCOM definitely has a better reputation, COMP is pretty young. Both have very impressive rotations.

I chose COMP for personal reasons, i dont think logic comes to play when two schools are so closely matched.

either way you are gonna hate then love then hate then love your school. you arent right in the mind if you are not frustrated and tired by the end of your first year or so. first year is so draining if ever asked to repeat first year (not close to failing FYI) i would have to say no. its one of those things you only wanna do once.

have fun and congratulations, you are gonna start hell next year! 🙂

 

[Skooled2much]

Hey hotlikebutter or Melancholy (or anyone)...
Do you know what percentage of students are getting their first pick for res. match? Do you feel that students might be at a competitive disadvantage for 'good' hospitals/residency slots because they are graduating from COMP? Is SoCal DO/Western friendly? What is the general reputation of COMP is the medical community outside of hospitals with WUHS students rotating (the working world)?

My experience at western was friggin' awesome. much, much better than other schools I interviewed or got in to.... I really did love everything about that school, the students, the curriculum, etc. However, I remain hesitant about attending a "new" "D.O." school and am looking for any reassurance I can get from current students.

It's hard to separate posts full of excitement and pride from those that show reliable, credible info to support the schools rep.

can ya help me out?! -

(by the way... you're posts have been amazingly informative and helpful! - thanks!)

 

[melancholy]

Hey hotlikebutter or Melancholy (or anyone)...
Do you know what percentage of students are getting their first pick for res. match? Do you feel that students might be at a competitive disadvantage for 'good' hospitals/residency slots because they are graduating from COMP? Is SoCal DO/Western friendly? What is the general reputation of COMP is the medical community outside of hospitals with WUHS students rotating (the working world)?[\QUOTE]

I don't think there's any way of knowing what % of students get their first pick for residency match unless the school polled every single person in the graduating class and got a good return rate from them.

Personally, I just went through match, did not get my first match, but got into a program that I thought I had absolutely no chance at getting into instead (ranked it lower for different reasons) and I realize that going to COMP gave me a much better shot at this program I matched to.

Overall, I think in about 95% of cases, attending COMP will not significantly limit your shot at your first pick granted you put in the time and effort. That is just basically saying you are at least on equal ground whether it is with ostoepathic or allopathic students. You still have to excel compared to these other students, but that's another topic.

I think we have a pretty good reputation with most of the southern California programs as you can find graduates in the majority of programs (UCLA, USC, Loma Linda, UCI, UCSD, UC-Davis). Graduates have gone to other nationally well-known programs as well and you can do research on that through older class match lists that may be on SDN or elsewhere. (I haven't searched for those in a long time)

My experience at western was friggin' awesome. much, much better than other schools I interviewed or got in to.... I really did love everything about that school, the students, the curriculum, etc. However, I remain hesitant about attending a "new" "D.O." school and am looking for any reassurance I can get from current students.

Realize that COMP is nowhere near as new as some other schools. The curriculum was basically shifted around and reorganized with some modifications to streamline it as well as augment certain areas, but it is not the same as going to a brand new school. The folks in charge of the curriuculum are keeping a close watch on how the DO 2009 class is to keep track of changes that need to be made in the future for the next incoming class based on feedback. Plusses might be less unnecessary lecture hours, more time to study, no tests every Monday anymore, no OPP every Tues and Wednesday mornings at 8am anymore (shifted to Tues or Wed afternoon), much more added time to study for boards, etc.. Some minuses would include the need to reorganize a few of the courses again or possibly re-balance the distribution of courses between first and second semesters. Maybe you can ask on the COMP 2009 class thread to see what they think. I am mostly just going on what I have heard since I will be graduating in under two months.