Pros and Cons of your DO School

[tsmleague]

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DMU pros and cons?

 

[hallowmann]

Pros:
-more free time in PBL curriculum, enabling you to decide how you study (using board resources from day 1 of week 13 of year 1, after the intensive anatomy classes are over)
-some PBL facilitators are great
- USMLE step 1 will be required for current first years and presumably future first years (the admin isn't completely blind to the future)
-tuition is ~20k cheaper than most other private DO schools
-rotating with residents is more consistent/possible than many other DO programs
-less administration breathing down your neck on the SH campus
-you really don't have to spend much time in dress code (it's not as bad as people think)
-there's this heavenly time each block, after you've finished all the cases for the block, where you get all of M, W, F off to study for at least a couple weeks for the PBL exam, with most facilitators (some finish at different paces)
-SH campus can be pretty
-good COMLEX scores
-the subset (in the past, good students) of students that took USMLE in recent years performed about average, on average

Cons:
-you generally have to come to campus for some BS stuff more than you'd like (often on campus 4-5 days a week, but this drops off each block after all cases are finished)
-some PBL facilitators are not good. There's one that tends to use all of the block to go through the cases, so you're in dress code and on campus with none of that heavenly time to study
-admins are generally unreasonable (no water in lecture hall, etc.)
-the main OPP prof, and OPP in general (the prof makes it much much worse than it needs to be. Apparently the Bradenton OPP prof is much better)
-LECOM does not pay for rotation sites, so there is some undue fluctuation and drop in rotation quality associated with this
-Several other faculty members are incompetent and you have to deal with it


Overall very happy to be here- many of the cons are not unique to this program. I would think it's reasonable to choose this campus over most other DO programs, except for the older Texas DO program(s?), most of the state schools (out of state WVSOM is a tougher decision due to the price), maybe RVU-CO, ATSU-KCOM, KCU-COM, PCOM-PA. But that's just, like, my opinion.

Agree with virtually all of these. Not sure i would choose RVU, WVSOM and KCOM over it, but that's also just, like, my opinion, mannn. Would absolutely choose TCOM over it or any DO school for that matter.

Also, is that OPP professor still there? Rough...

 

[pgswimmer]

Anything recent for KYCOM?

 

[cptsam]

You aren’t allowed even water in the lecture hall? Gracious sakes...

Gonna chime in that Nova has piss poor pass rates right now, but that’s because they don’t hold people back from taking a crack at boards. Also Broward General and Mt Sinai are LEGIT places to rotate. You’ll see and do EVERYTHING rotating at either place. They have many other good sites, but those are by far the best in terms of raw medical experience.

I heard that you can just step out and eat/drink whatever you want, but still not the most ideal. There are only a few areas like that though.

 

[lessupsetSHstudent]

I heard that you can just step out and eat/drink whatever you want, but still not the most ideal. There are only a few areas like that though.

Essentially, you can get up from lecture and drink, sure. I mainly use this example as an indicator of how students are seen and treated.

Agree with virtually all of these. Not sure i would choose RVU, WVSOM and KCOM over it, but that's also just, like, my opinion, mannn. Would absolutely choose TCOM over it or any DO school for that matter.

Also, is that OPP professor still there? Rough...

Thanks for the validation. And yeah, OPP prof is still there last I heard (recently). I'll have so much more to say about this Individual #1 once I am less afraid of retribution. Soon.

 

[rg2o3]

I heard that you can just step out and eat/drink whatever you want, but still not the most ideal. There are only a few areas like that though.

You can step out and go to the water fountain...That's about as best as it gets during lecture.

 

[cptsam]

Agree with virtually all of these. Not sure i would choose RVU, WVSOM and KCOM over it, but that's also just, like, my opinion, mannn. Would absolutely choose TCOM over it or any DO school for that matter.

Also, is that OPP professor still there? Rough...

is there stuff to do in downtown Greensburg? I was considering living in Pittsburgh as I'm a fan of city life but the commute there and back seems rough.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

is there stuff to do in downtown Greensburg? I was considering living in Pittsburgh as I'm a fan of city life but the commute there and back seems rough.

It's been said pittsburgh is about 45 min away. Do you think you'll have a spare hour and a half each day for commuting?

 

[lessupsetSHstudent]

is there stuff to do in downtown Greensburg? I was considering living in Pittsburgh as I'm a fan of city life but the commute there and back seems rough.

It's been said pittsburgh is about 45 min away. Do you think you'll have a spare hour and a half each day for commuting?

People in each year do live in Pittsburgh, and make the commute. Usually it is due to an SO's work or whatever. If you don't have to live there, you probably shouldn't, at least your first year. Get used to school and if you think you'd like that after second year I think it would be a more reasonable thing to consider. Also keep in mind that you will be much more isolated from classmates if you live in Pittsburgh so from a social standpoint (if you're moving here alone) it's probably best as well.

Greensburgh has some bars and several decent restaurants and cafes. There's a YMCA. People go into Pittsburgh occasionally because it has much more to offer.

 

[cptsam]

People in each year do live in Pittsburgh, and make the commute. Usually it is due to an SO's work or whatever. If you don't have to live there, you probably shouldn't, at least your first year. Get used to school and if you think you'd like that after second year I think it would be a more reasonable thing to consider. Also keep in mind that you will be much more isolated from classmates if you live in Pittsburgh so from a social standpoint (if you're moving here alone) it's probably best as well.

Greensburgh has some bars and several decent restaurants and cafes. There's a YMCA. People go into Pittsburgh occasionally because it has much more to offer.

Thanks for the response! Do you have any idea how dedicated study time works? I've read that some people opt for an extra 1 month where they forego their vacation to get some extra time for studying.