Since I'll be attending COMP this Fall, I can share my thoughts as an applicant on why I chose this school. I applied to three schools and had the opportunity to interview to all three (COMP, UHS, and Touro). I was accepted to two, and am currently waiting on the third. I chose COMP for many different reasons, but to try to stay neutral, here are some thoughts to consider. In terms of school reputation, I feel it is the strongest osteopathic school in the West thus far, with AZCOM pulling strong...considering that it is a fairly new school. If you plan on practicing in the West, consider future contacts, i.e. contacts while in rotations and fellow classmates. In terms of academics, I've heard differing on both sides from current students. Some say certain faculty can't teach...which I can believe, but then again it's only the basic sciences. Assuming we're all adults here, I don't expect schools to spoon feed any students nor myself through med school. Anyways, the students really learn the PRACTICAL stuff during rotations, so learning the material in the first two years is really up to the student. In terms of OP&P, the way the academic system is set up, students told me they really learn their OMM from head to toe. COMP recently made it a requirement to do an OMM rotation during the 3rd and 4th years. It's too bad not all who attend care too much for it.
Also from what I heard at my interview, a revised curriculum is in the works for next Fall (to what extent, I don't know). I do know however that COMP is trying to revise the curriculum for less class hours, and still have the students responsible for the same amount of material. As for the schools facilities, I am pleased and satisfied with the fairly new semi-stadium style auditorium for the 1st and 2nd year students. There are well more than enough seats for all 175 students, as well as enough internet/ethernet ports for each student. The OMM lab (with monitors) and gross lab are large enough to fit all students in one class session, which I can say some other schools cannot accomodate (meaning students/classes are split up). In terms of aesthetics and location of the school, some say it's not the greatest, but then again USC Med/John's Hopkins isn't in the best neighborhood either. Also to consider is having the ability to interact with students from other health programs COMP has to offer.
In terms of residency, I don't have much information on that, but I do know that many COMP alumni have been able get into very competitive residency programs (one of them being a doctor I work with), including specialties. So if one is worried about COMP's reputation in that department, it won't be the school that will hold one down. Finally, the student body. I saw a pretty well balanced male/female and ethnic diversity. To top it all off, the students seemed very supportive of each other. COMP does not appear to be a cut-throat school, so if any of you out there are very competitive, consider another school.
Hopefully this info was helpful to some of you, and if there is anything I missed, or if there are any differing opinions, I'm sure someone will post. Good luck to all in making your final decisions.