Hi I am currently accepted to both of these schools and I want to know which one is better to attend? Both present and in long term prospects? Thanks everyone!!
RVU-COM vs LECOM Seton Hill
- Thread starter Krupat
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Lecom.
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Difficult choice, in my opinion.
There have been quite a few complaints coming from SDNers at LECOM-SH. On top of the run of the mill mediocre LECOM reviews, it sounds as if the SH campus has not been very well funded or supported. However, the for-profit status of RVUCOM has raised a lot of eyebrows. Its worth noting that should the MD/DO systems were ever to be merged, RVUCOM would likely be forced to close since MD schools are not allowed to be for-profit.
LECOM-SH
Pros:
Cheap
Non-profit
LECOM's reputation seems to be generally considered superior to RVU.
Cons:
Mixed reviews from current SH students
NO cadaver lab whatsoever (your mileage may vary if you value this or not)
RVUCOM
Pros:
The reviews from the students currently attending seem to be positive
Cons:
~$45,000 a year for tuition and fees
For-profit, which as drawn significant controversy
My personal decision would be to take LECOM for the price, non profit status, and since I prefer to live in that part of the country. However, obviously its a difficult and personal decision that only you can decide.
Good luck!
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Agree with most of this, I chose LECOM because of price over RVUCOM. Lecom-SH is all PBL so having a lot of infrastructure isnt super necessary (we essentially have a lecture hall, Pbl classrooms, Library and OMM room). Greensburg has no where near what Denver has to offer...in anyway..not even close. But at RVUCOM you cant get loans thru FASFA and it is for profit which we will see if thats a big deal here soon, their match list looks decent thus far.
DO schools will not be combining with MD in our lifetime so no need to worry about RVU losing accreditation if that happens because it wont.
Not having cadavers simply meant more time studying to me, I've done anatomy with and without them and really think they are a waste of time..though they do help a bit with 3-dimensional relationships if you have a hard time thinking like that.
OP you can PM me if you want specifics on stuff.
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Is RVU still all private loans? That would be a good reason to choose LECOM-SH. Otherwise, I would probably choose RVU for the location and facilities. I am biased, though, and I will grant that LSH has gotten better for subsequent classes, but the education is still pretty awful.
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I was accepted to both LECOM-Erie and RVU. I chose RVU for personal reasons (my husband lives and works in Denver). However, while some of the above things are true, some are exaggerated. If MD and DO ever merged (super uper duper long-shot of ever happening) RVU would have a choice, change to NPO or be closed, not just closed. Private loans, currently, if you have a cosigner your loan rates are ~3.5%, which is 3.5-4.5% LESS than federal loans, just a thought. LECOM has a horrible reputation with it's students, hence the post on the DO student forum regarding that (LDP, not PBL FWIW). Tuition is higher at RVU than LECOM, but not higher than most of the other DO schools, it is less than SOMA and AZCOM. If tuition is a concern, LECOM should be your choice... RVU doesn't have the super strict dress code, and it doesn't have mandatory lectures, you can download them and watch them. You have actual classes, instead of paying 30k/yr to teach yourself medicine. LECOM is by far the most for-profit non-profit I've ever seen or heard of, and the higher ups make huge amounts of money. Let the decision be based on how you felt at each school, unless tuition or curriculum is a huge issue...
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I chose LECOM-SH and I couldn't be happier. The faculty is 90% awesome (yes, you read that correctly, a student at LECOM likes faculty). I bet a lot of my peers would say the same...it's just that the 10% is what gets broadcast online, ya know?
The talk about "not well funded" seems misinformed because there's nothing we're missing. Lecture hall, check. PBL, check. OMM, check. Library, check. Faculty who are easy to talk to and more than willing to take time out of their day, check. Med school is about students sticking their noses in books and busting their butts so I feel like tons of extraneous "resources" just add to tuition and don't really benefit 95% of students.
Poor reviews? Vast majority of my classmates are happy and the only reviews I've seen on here have been positive. LECOM SH should seriously be considered 100% NOT part of Erie...we just don't have that "atmosphere" that is so prevalent up north.
No cadavers...I've done both. This seems to be a perceived "right of passage." If you don't see a dead body, you can't possibly know anatomy! Since everyone has done it in the past it must be necessary! I'm gonna give a big thumbs down to that notion because cadavers teach you how to pick fat off of organs....that's it. And they also teach you what structures look like after frustrated medical students mangle everything. Go get some ground beef, stick it in the blender, turn it to chop and there's your med student dissected cadaver! Your time is better spent in the books learning how things relate clinically like "well, if this was blocked, how would blood still get there?"
I think you should base your choice on whether you like PBL. As for me, I am such an unashamed cheerleader for it. It has just worked out as such a great fit for me. If it seems like it fits your personality you should do it. A lot of people say "I just skip class and study at home...that's how I learn." Well, PBL basically says "we know you learn best by reading and studying on your own, so we won't waste your time listening to boring lectures." It's true that you'll read a TON (and be expected to know it all in some serious detail) and you'll have to be very independent and proactive but I'm learning this material in some great detail so I like it. If you like to have your powerpoint slides to study from and are one of those people who hates textbooks, PBL is NOT the route.
Last thing you want is to be stuck in lectures all day when you hate them or trying to study from a book when you developed powerpoint study skills. I say pick the learning pathway that fits best.
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Obviously you are a student there, and I am not, so you are in by far a better position to judge the quality of the school. However, to say that all the LECOM/SH reviews on SDN have been "positive" is rather disingenuous.
With that said, I will edit my post and change "poor" to "mixed." I agree that perhaps my wording was harsh in that regard.
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Disingenuous? Hardly. Don't accuse me of being misleading, especially on an online forum. That's just lame. The reviews I've read have been positive. I mean, technically every school on earth is "mixed" so that debate is all about semantics...
Just want to convey the point that the LECOM Erie atmosphere is exclusive (or nearly so) to the Erie campus and doesn't include SH.
Are there similarities? Yeah of course, because we're under the same umbrella but the main complaint of students is the interaction with faculty and general faculty atmosphere, which I will emphasize again, is just not representative of our faculty here.
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Students at Erie who are PBL like it, students at SH and Bradenton also don't complain the way that Erie LDP students do... Read this: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=872907
Either way, OP, let us know what your decision is
Either way, OP, let us know what your decision is
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For students who still want the anatomy experience without this frustration, they should investigate a school with prosection. The job gets done with precision by more experienced dissectors and is quite invaluable for the learning experience in my opinion. I'm not saying you can't become a great physician without it, but I'm thankful for the experience personally. There are just some things that no matter how much you study and simulate them can still only be learned in a way like the cadaver lab offers. We only spent 2 hrs a week required in lab, so there was still plenty of time for studying.
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i've heard prosections are pretty sweet too.
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I was really happy with my experience with it....work is basically done for you and you still get the experience of learning on a human body. Unfortunately, I'm hearing rumors that this will be changing for our future classes....not sure if this is true or not, but it's what I'm hearing. Too bad for them honestly.
Thank you everyone, I have decided to choose LECOM-SH.
-My family and friends are in NJ
-LECOM is very well known
-I like the diversity LECOM has
-PBL is a proven method
-I will be a D.O. at the end of the day no matter which school 🙂
How should I notify RVUCOM about my decision, I hate saying no to them. They were very friendly and committed.
-My family and friends are in NJ
-LECOM is very well known
-I like the diversity LECOM has
-PBL is a proven method
-I will be a D.O. at the end of the day no matter which school 🙂
How should I notify RVUCOM about my decision, I hate saying no to them. They were very friendly and committed.
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Just send the ADCOM an email declining the offer. Something along the lines of "thank you for the opportunity, I have decided to accept an offer of acceptance at another school that I believe is a better fit." Schmooze it up a little if you want but concise is the way to go.
There won't be any hard feelings, plenty of students clamoring for your seat!
Oh and welcome to the club! Check out the facebook page, lots of good info, your class has one for itself and there's a general lecom-sh page.
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OP, thanks for presenting this discussion. Personally, RVU is my top choice which is mainly due to living in Colorado (owning a house here), and their COMLEX score rank for COMLEX Step I not to mention their Residency acceptance rate (pretty significant to snatch two of the five combined programs in the U.S.). Having said this, I will definitely be applying broadly and although RVU is my top choice, I am expecting to be moving my family and I to another area in the country to attend Medical School. Good luck at LECOM-SH and for those looking for a place to live in Colorado for RVU, feel free to PM me on any questions or suggestions for places to live.
