VCOM-CC vs. LECOM-B

[md420909]

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I have been accepted to both LECOM-B and VCOM-CC. I am still waiting to hear back from NSU-COM, but for the purposes of this thread I'm going to assume I have not been accepted there. I hope that I will be, but I'd rather decide based on the facts at hand. The two schools are very different and I find myself with a lot to consider. To give you some background about me, I am considering specializing in cardiology or orthopedic surgery, but I suspect that will change multiple times throughout school. The idea of family medicine is also very appealing. Either way, if I DO decide to specialize, I want to attend a school that will give be the best chance at successfully obtaining a specialty residency. Also, I have a long-term boyfriend in FL, and while that's not a determining factor, it's certainly weighing in on my decision.

VCOM-CC: I really liked the atmosphere at VCOM-CC. I thought the school was beautiful, I had awesome interactions with the faculty, and I liked their dedication to the community. I was excited that a food co-op will be opening next year, and one of their faculty owns the local yoga studio (yay!). I also liked how enthusiastic they seemed about global health and mission trips (definitely something I want to participate in). That being said, I will be in their fourth class. They don't have data for this specific school regarding residency placement. In general, this campus is not well-established. If I decide I want to specialize, it seems advantageous for me to attend a school that will give me the best chance of that.

LECOM-B: LECOM-B was very clean and nice. The Bradenton area seems safe and laid-back. I like that it's close to Sarasota and the ocean. I really like Florida, and I'm excited about being close to the ocean (when I have enough time to visit 😏). Obviously a big thing with LECOM-B is the PBL curriculum. I actually think I would do really well with this type of learning. I prefer to read text books and I like the idea of working on case studies in a group. I think I would prefer this type of curriculum, but I have some reservations. The students at this campus (compared to those I spoke with at NSU-COM and VCOM-CC) did not seem as enthusiastic or happy. It seems like the PBL curriculum really weighed on them. Or maybe it was just the school? I'm not sure. I mean, some of them seemed happy being there, but it was just that everyone kind of looked... zombie-ish? Tired? I mean, of course that comes with being in medical school, but it seemed particularly prevalent there. Maybe I visited close to an exam or something?

Any input would be MUCH appreciated. I'm terribly indecisive and I find that this indecisiveness is carrying over into my medical school decision...

 

[hallowmann]

Personally, I think LECOM PBL is excellent. I'm not at Bradenton, but I imagine it's just as good if not better. You probably did attend close to an exam. Pretty much everyone is a zombie the 2wks before a PBL exam. That said, the LECOM admins are known to not be the friendliest bunch. Again, I have no idea what Bradenton is like, though.

Bottom line: Go wherever you think you'll be happiest, and in turn be able to succeed. Forget about how long a school has been around. Sure LECOM-B has a proven track record, but I'm sure VCOM-CC will be just fine in that regard, especially with VCOM being around for so long. Remember also that its not like you're in the first class, so hopefully they've ironed out most of the kinks. Really, just pick where you feel you would succeed the mosy

 

[md420909]

Thanks! Any other thoughts or suggestions? I do think I would like the PBL curriculum. I'm just not sure what I should give the most weight to in my decision making process.

 

[cliquesh]

I'd probably go to Bradenton. Everyone I met from that school had ridiculous comlex scores.

 

[md420909]

Does anyone know much about rotations at LECOM-B? They didn't really mention that during our interview, and it's normally kind of a big thing.