Ponce or BCOM

[Cooki3]

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Hi,
So I have a little problem deciding where I want to go. I got accepted into BCOM and I put my deposit down, but I’m pretty hesitant about going there. The COMLEX passing rates and the recently posted match rates concern me a lot. I was offered a seat at Ponce and I’m really thinking about taking it. I am conversational in Spanish. I can read, write, and understand most Spanish but my speaking skills aren’t fluent due to not having anyone to really talk to and keep my skills sharp. I minored in Spanish at my university too. I’m positive I can pick it up quickly and I was assured by one of their staff my Spanish would be sufficient for Ponce. I also have an interview with KYCOM and I’m waitlisted at UNECOM (my first choice). I’m also currently pursuing a career in the army through HPSP (just waiting for MEPS to open back up so they can review some more medical records).
Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Cooki3]

Why would you even consider BCOM? Have you seen their most recent board passage rates? LOWEST PASSAGE RATE OF ANY SCHOOL THAT POSTED. Have you seen how many of their students matched? The article I read said over 120. To me that means less than 130. Assuming a starting class of 162, well that's not an assumption we know that's the number. If 121 students matched that means about 25% of their students never made it. 25%!!!!! 1 in 4 that is atrocious! You would be better off taking a year off and improving your application before taking the risk that BCOM statistically presents.

You’re right that’s what worries me, but at the same time why are you copy and pasting the same message all over SDN?

 

[GreensBeansPotatoes]

I think the majority of people would leans towards US MD over DO, especially if you won't be paying for school. I would definitely choose PHSU in case you want to end up doing a competitive residency like a surgical subspecialty. I wouldn't really consider BCOM or KYCOM over USMD but if UNECOM is your first choice, maybe reconsider if you get pulled off of the WL? Also, Ponce seems like a beautiful place to live. Do you see yourself living in PR?

 

[Cooki3]

I think the majority of people would leans towards US MD over DO, especially if you won't be paying for school. I would definitely choose PHSU in case you want to end up doing a competitive residency like a surgical subspecialty. I wouldn't really consider BCOM or KYCOM over USMD but if UNECOM is your first choice, maybe reconsider if you get pulled off of the WL? Also, Ponce seems like a beautiful place to live. Do you see yourself living in PR?

It would be a different experience but I could see myself liking it there a lot. The thing that bothers me with Ponce is they seem to have some administrative problems. Posts such as this one sort of make me want to stay away. Their test scores and graduation rate kind of scares me too. I’m just worried that medical school is going to be hard enough and I don’t want to have to worry about more on top of that (as much as I can control obviously). I figured too that since I’m going through HPSP the MD vs. DO thing won’t be that big of a deal.

 

[GreensBeansPotatoes]

It would be a different experience but I could see myself liking it there a lot. The thing that bothers me with Ponce is they seem to have some administrative problems. Posts such as this one sort of make me want to stay away. Their test scores and graduation rate kind of scares me too. I’m just worried that medical school is going to be hard enough and I don’t want to have to worry about more on top of that (as much as I can control obviously). I figured too that since I’m going through HPSP the MD vs. DO thing won’t be that big of a deal.

I had read that post before, very unfortunate stuff. However, I think all schools have their pros/cons and PHSU is not the exception. At the end of the day you will be a doctor. If taking Step 1 in addition to COMLEX in order to be competitive for some specialities and having OMT take away some time from studying other material not being a dealbreaker, then maybe consider UNECOM if you get in. As of right now, I would pick PHSU over KYCOM or BCOM as it is an established MD program. Regardless, congratulations you're going to be a doctor!