VCOM vs NYITCOM vs LECOM ?

[thegrind577]

I have these 3 schools to choose from. I am from Maryland, so for the most part they are all equal in distance from me (~4 hour drive). I am currently leaning more towards NYIT due to connections and more competitive residency placements but would appreciate any outside feedback/thoughts/where I may be wrong. Thanks

NYITCOM-Old Westbury

PROS

-good match rates into more competitive specialties
-good reputation
-Pass/Fail curriculum
-non mandatory classes
-older school→ stronger alumni connections


CONS

-expensive(58k)
-High cost of living (Long Island)
-Larger class size, less tight knit ( 276)
-more of a commuter school





LECOM


PROS
-cheap (35k)
-accepted to the PBL( Practice Based Learning Curriculum-more hands on and case based)


CONS

-match rates aren’t that great
-havent heard many good things about the administration
-Graded Curriculum
-mandatory class attendance


VCOM-VA



PROS

• Slightly cheaper (45k)
• Cheaper cost of living (Blacksburg, VA)
• Smaller class size (166), so more close-knit group
• Newer campus
  

CONS

• Not pass/fail → Traditional Grading Curriculum
• Mandatory class attendance & dress code
• Newer school→ less connections
• Strong emphasis on rural medicine ( I am more geared toward urban medicine)
  • 3rd year rotations are in more rural area hospitals with a strong family med preference
    

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[Magus5454]

This really belongs in School X vs School Y, but you forgot LECOM's (in my eyes) outrageous dress code.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

This really belongs in School X vs School Y, but you forgot LECOM's (in my eyes) outrageous dress code.

I don't think thats really an issue after a couple weeks you get used to it and it doesn't bother you anymore (from the students I talked to, plus I dress up everyday for rotations and don't have an issue).

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Honestly from this list, if NYITCOM is true pass/fail (or pass/fail with honors and no high pass), I would pick it. I didn't know that before. The non-mandatory attendance is a big deal as well.

LECOM PBL currculum is really interesting and if you are a self starter I have heard good things about it. But there is no way I would pick a graded school over a pass/fail.

VCOM has a cool curriculum as well with the blocks and the 1 week off after each course. I actually think its really smart. But the school sounds like a bad fit for your goals.

Sounds like money is the only thing that's keeping you from NYITCOM. And as long as its the original campus (and not arkansas), I am gonna tell you to go there even with the attrition issues (its over 10% from what I recall, but with these new schools being at 20%+ sometimes, that doesn't even seem that bad).

 

[Ho0v-man]

LECOM unless pbl isn’t your thing. Compared to my school, it’s like 80k cheaper. What I would give to not have BS lectures and just learn on my own from text books/ board prep materials...

Also, commuting sucks when you’re a crazy busy med student and mandatory attendance for lectures shouldn’t be a thing when you’re paying the teachers salary.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

LECOM unless pbl isn’t your thing. Compared to my school, it’s like 80k cheaper. What I would give to not have BS lectures and just learn on my own from text books/ board prep materials...

Also, commuting sucks when you’re a crazy busy med student and mandatory attendance for lectures shouldn’t be a thing when you’re paying the teachers salary.

LECOM still has the mandatory attendance.

 

[Magus5454]

I don't think thats really an issue after a couple weeks you get used to it and it doesn't bother you anymore (from the students I talked to, plus I dress up everyday for rotations and don't have an issue).

I get dressing up for rotations, but I dont feel you need to be in professional dress for lectures. Just me

 

[BorntobeDO?]

I have to dress up every day for third year. It sucks. It really sucks. It REALLY sucks. It makes me miserable. My husband has noticed a shift in my mood pending days I get to wear scrubs. I dunno. I just know I hate it so much. Doing it for the first two years would of drained my soul.

For that reason alone I wouldnt attend lecom

Doesn't this seem unreasonable that dressing up professionally alters your mood? I guess I don't see it, when I am dressed up I feel more like a physician rather than a student or nurse or tech. I mean even custodial services wears scrubs. I don't really want to, and maybe that's cause I wore scrubs everyday in my prior career, but still.

Sorry you feel that way, I suggest trying to change your mentality on the clothes just to make it easier. At least the business attire can't shaft you right?

 

[BorntobeDO?]

I get dressing up for rotations, but I dont feel you need to be in professional dress for lectures. Just me

I agree, but I wouldn't disqualify a school over it. There are lots of important things that affect how I perform/match that a school can do. Forcing me to wear suits to class may be annoying, but it certainly won't affect my app in any way.

 

[Magus5454]

No.

I'm glad you feel that way. I don't. Thanks for input. Nothing to feel sorry for. I'm gong to be wearing pajamas to work for the rest of my life. LOL, it's great.

This is one reason I'm attracted to some specialties, I can get away with scrubs and a white coat.

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

All DOs are straight up trash. This is coming from someone who attends a DO with a great reputation on sdn.

The only two factors that you should care about:

1) True optional class lectures (make sure to dig deep about this issue bc a lot of optional lecture schools out there disguise mandatory class lectures with small group exercises and # of hrs spent in the OMM or clinical medicine class). So, you really need to ask about the # of hrs spent in the OMM and clinical medicine per week. Don't let them bsing to you how extra hours spent in clinical medicine will pay dividend in term of better performance on the ward. It's bull because of the stuff being taught in your clinical medicine class are outdated stuff from incompetent clinicians. OMM is straight up garbage, unless you're going into FM. I'm going to assume that you don't want to go to FM since you're here

2) The straight $$$ cost

 

[Ho0v-man]

LECOM still has the mandatory attendance.

Yeah but isn’t it like just a couple times a week for pbl and omm, right?

 

[Hippocrates II]

Another thing to factor in is COL. How much does it cost to live near NYIT campus vs. LECOM's/VA's? That could wind up making an already expensive school significantly more.

That said, if it's a p/f curriculum.. that is worth a lot (to me, at least). I hate hate haaaaaaaaaaaate that my school is A+/A/A-/B+.... you're always stressing over that one point you missed to bump you up. I know it doesn't matter a ton, but it's still a source of stress for me and I'm sure many others. P/F would be palpable weight off of my shoulders.

Ultimately, I would probably choose VA from what you listed. It's the best compromise of the three IMO. The money saved with LECOM is not worth the additional hoops. NYIT will probably cost you ~20k/year over the others, and in the end, I do not think where you go to DO school impacts your outcomes to nearly the same degree as it does with MD schools. Look at the DO match lists and they all look pretty similar.

 

[thegrind577]

All DOs are straight up trash. This is coming from someone who attends a DO with a great reputation on sdn.

The only two factors that you should care about:

1) True optional class lectures (make sure to dig deep about this issue bc a lot of optional lecture schools out there disguise mandatory class lectures with small group exercises and # of hrs spent in the OMM or clinical medicine class). So, you really need to ask about the # of hrs spent in the OMM and clinical medicine per week. Don't let them bsing to you how extra hours spent in clinical medicine will pay dividend in term of better performance on the ward. It's bull because of the stuff being taught in your clinical medicine class are outdated stuff from incompetent clinicians. OMM is straight up garbage, unless you're going into FM. I'm going to assume that you don't want to go to FM since you're here

2) The straight $$$ cost

All DOs are straight up trash. This is coming from someone who attends a DO with a great reputation on sdn.

The only two factors that you should care about:

1) True optional class lectures (make sure to dig deep about this issue bc a lot of optional lecture schools out there disguise mandatory class lectures with small group exercises and # of hrs spent in the OMM or clinical medicine class). So, you really need to ask about the # of hrs spent in the OMM and clinical medicine per week. Don't let them bsing to you how extra hours spent in clinical medicine will pay dividend in term of better performance on the ward. It's bull because of the stuff being taught in your clinical medicine class are outdated stuff from incompetent clinicians. OMM is straight up garbage, unless you're going into FM. I'm going to assume that you don't want to go to FM since you're here

2) The straight $$$ cost

Im curious about your comments on DO curriculum not being good. In what way do you think it’s trash? I feel at the end of the day match lists are very similar to many other schools where the ~60% go primary care and rest EM, Anesthesiology, less Comp specialties but what specifically makes you say that? Would you think it wise to deny acceptance and apply MD next cycle? I’m trying for anesthesia or some comfortable paying specialty not trying to go neuro/ortho/rad onc so I feel DO can still get me where I wanna go?

 

[AspiringD0c]

Speaking for VCOM Auburn, I enjoy it so far. PM if you want any info

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

Im curious about your comments on DO curriculum not being good. In what way do you think it’s trash? I feel at the end of the day match lists are very similar to many other schools where the ~60% go primary care and rest EM, Anesthesiology, less Comp specialties but what specifically makes you say that? Would you think it wise to deny acceptance and apply MD next cycle? I’m trying for anesthesia or some comfortable paying specialty not trying to go neuro/ortho/rad onc so I feel DO can still get me where I wanna go?

If you want any surgical related subspecialty or something more competitive, you should retry for a MD. For example, a MD who wants GAS can bust a 220s on Step 1 and get at least 50-60% interviews at mid tier places with no audition. As a DO, you need to bust at least a 230s on Step 1 on top of great letters and top performances at your audition sites to just get 20-30% interviews at mid tier to low tier places.

Then, there's the active sabotaging by your DO overlords to screw you over in order to have you in primary care. They put up this bs pretense saying that they want you to follow your heart. However, at the end of the day, their allegiance lies with AOA primary care, not your best interest.

If you're a USMD who underperforms with a 210s on Step 1, your chances at EM, GAS, and other non primary care noncompetitive fields are still open. If you're a DO, your chances are not very comfortable. So, it's up to you to know what you're up against if you go this DO route. Don't go into a DO school, thinking that it's easy to do above average relative to your peers. It's much easier said than done.

 

[Hippocrates II]

If you want any surgical related subspecialty or something more competitive, you should retry for a MD. For example, a MD who wants GAS can bust a 220s on Step 1 and get at least 50-60% interviews at mid tier places with no audition. As a DO, you need to bust at least a 230s on Step 1 on top of great letters and top performances at your audition sites to just get 20-30% interviews at mid tier to low tier places.

Then, there's the active sabotaging by your DO overlords to screw you over in order to have you in primary care. They put up this bs pretense saying that they want you to follow your heart. However, at the end of the day, their allegiance lies with AOA primary care, not your best interest.

If you're a USMD who underperforms with a 210s on Step 1, your chances at EM, GAS, and other non primary care noncompetitive fields are still open. If you're a DO, your chances are not very comfortable. So, it's up to you to know what you're up against if you go this DO route. Don't go into a DO school, thinking that it's easy to do above average relative to your peers. It's much easier said than done.

Pretty much everything you just said there is either factually wrong or purely conjecture and impossible to prove. Anesthesiology is also just about the worst example you could use. Looking at the numbers for '18:

MD avg step 1 (matched): 232

DO avg step 1 (matched): 227 (571 comlex)

MD match rate with a 220-230 step 1: 96%

DO match rate with a 220-230 step 1: 98.5%

MD match rate with an 'underperforming' 200-220 step 1: 92%

DO match rate with an 'underperforming' 200-220 step 1:: 86%


Many other specialties follow a similar theme: DOs match at lower rates overall, but they aren't far behind, and MDs on average have more impressive applications (higher scores, more research, more publiciations, etc.). Even with an MD bias that is definitely present, the match data is pretty fair. DOs match at a pretty solid rate, only trailing MDs a fairly modest amount for most (but not all) specialties, and they should given their averagely-inferior applications. Now if you want to argue that DO schools are a reason for having less research, worse board scores, etc., that's another argument you could make, but doesn't apply to the argument you presented. As for matching at low tier vs. high tier places, there's no data on that AFAIK, but looking at match results from schools certainly shows MDs are preferred in the more competitive programs. That does not mean DOs can only scrape the bottom of the barrel of programs, though.

Overall, you can get a solid education out of DO schools, so it's rather disingenuous to say "all DOs are straight up trash". The lip service to OMM is crap and the lack of associated hospitals/programs is a drag, but otherwise the education must be pretty good to have achieved the match rates that it has relative to our MD colleagues.

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

Pretty much everything you just said there is either factually wrong or purely conjecture and impossible to prove. Anesthesiology is also just about the worst example you could use. Looking at the numbers for '18:

MD avg step 1 (matched): 232

DO avg step 1 (matched): 227 (571 comlex)

MD match rate with a 220-230 step 1: 96%

DO match rate with a 220-230 step 1: 98.5%

MD match rate with an 'underperforming' 200-220 step 1: 92%

DO match rate with an 'underperforming' 200-220 step 1:: 86%


Many other specialties follow a similar theme: DOs match at lower rates overall, but they aren't far behind, and MDs on average have more impressive applications (higher scores, more research, more publiciations, etc.). Even with an MD bias that is definitely present, the match data is pretty fair. DOs match at a pretty solid rate, only trailing MDs a fairly modest amount for most (but not all) specialties, and they should given their averagely-inferior applications. Now if you want to argue that DO schools are a reason for having less research, worse board scores, etc., that's another argument you could make, but doesn't apply to the argument you presented. As for matching at low tier vs. high tier places, there's no data on that AFAIK, but looking at match results from schools certainly shows MDs are preferred in the more competitive programs. That does not mean DOs can only scrape the bottom of the barrel of programs, though.

Overall, you can get a solid education out of DO schools, so it's rather disingenuous to say "all DOs are straight up trash". The lip service to OMM is crap and the lack of associated hospitals/programs is a drag, but otherwise the education must be pretty good to have achieved the match rates that it has relative to our MD colleagues.

Are you seriously trying to lecture to me on residency application as either a first year or second year? LOL. Worry about nailing your Step 1 first.

I get my info from people that know the actual inner pulses of some programs, not from 1st or 2nd year deadbeats on sdn who think they know everything. It’s funny that you bring up the Anesthesiology numbers, bc a lot of DOs from my school are thinking of GAS as a possiblity due to their subpar board scores.

I’m telling you that you need to have around the averages to have a comfortable number of IIs at mid tier programs. It’s easy to dismiss the diff in quality of training bet diff levels of programs as a first or second year. But, if you have the opportunity to rotate during your third year at both a community hospital vs a tier 1 medical center, there’s a huge diff in management of pathologies. I don’t know about you, but I personally want to be well trained in all the bread and butter cases as well as the zebras.

As far as the diff treatment from residency programs as a DO vs a MD, why don’t you wait until at least third or fourth year before you give me this junk? It’s a fact that a MD with similar stats to a DO will get 20-40% greater yield in term of IIs to higher quality programs. It is too early for you to worry about this stuff but just be prepared to bust your behind and go the extra distance just to have comparable II results to your MD counterpart.

Keep drinking the big daddy DO stuff. Give it some time. Your tune will likely change just like others.

I don’t know about you but I think I’m perfectly reasonable to call all the stuff taught in my first two years as trash when I see different and better ways of doing things during my third year.

 

[Hippocrates II]

Are you seriously trying to lecture to me on residency application as either a first year or second year? LOL. Worry about nailing your Step 1 first.

I get my info from people that know the actual inner pulses of some programs, not from 1st or 2nd year deadbeats on sdn who think they know everything. It’s funny that you bring up the Anesthesiology numbers, bc a lot of DOs from my school are thinking of GAS as a possiblity due to their subpar board scores.

I’m telling you that you need to have around the averages to have a comfortable number of IIs at mid tier programs. It’s easy to dismiss the diff in quality of training bet diff levels of programs as a first or second year. But, if you have the opportunity to rotate during your third year at both a community hospital vs a tier 1 medical center, there’s a huge diff in management of pathologies. I don’t know about you, but I personally want to be well trained in all the bread and butter cases as well as the zebras.

As far as the diff treatment from residency programs as a DO vs a MD, why don’t you wait until at least third or fourth year before you give me this junk? It’s a fact that a MD with similar stats to a DO will get 20-40% greater yield in term of IIs to higher quality programs. It is too early for you to worry about this stuff but just be prepared to bust your behind and go the extra distance just to have comparable II results to your MD counterpart.

Keep drinking the big daddy DO stuff. Give it some time. Your tune will likely change just like others.

I don’t know about you but I think I’m perfectly reasonable to call all the stuff taught in my first two years as trash when I see different and better ways of doing things during my third year.

I didn't even bother reading your response past your first sentence because it's the tired classic "I've been in school longer thus I know more than you" argument while completely ignoring all facts and failing to refute those presented to you. It doesn't take being an attending with 10 years of experience to interpret actual data presented for match rates. I don't pretend to have any sort of advanced knowledge of any of this as a student still in school, but I can interpret the data enough to know bull**** when I see it, like using anesthesia match rates as a platform to talk about how terrible DO education is. Is DO education perfect, or even as good as MD? Of course not, and I don't pretend it to be. I'm merely saying that if it was truly hore**** like you're purporting, we probably wouldn't see 98%+ of DOs with a 220-230 step 1 matching gas, would we?

Suit yourself.

 

[MightBeACylon439]

Go to VA because its prettier and cheaper.

 

[Black Coffee 24/7]

I didn't even bother reading your response past your first sentence because it's the tired classic "I've been in school longer thus I know more than you" argument while completely ignoring all facts and failing to refute those presented to you. It doesn't take being an attending with 10 years of experience to interpret actual data presented for match rates. I don't pretend to have any sort of advanced knowledge of any of this as a student still in school, but I can interpret the data enough to know bull**** when I see it, like using anesthesia match rates as a platform to talk about how terrible DO education is. Is DO education perfect, or even as good as MD? Of course not, and I don't pretend it to be. I'm merely saying that if it was truly hore**** like you're purporting, we probably wouldn't see 98%+ of DOs with a 220-230 step 1 matching gas, would we?

Suit yourself.

1st year medical student who tries to lecture to an upperclassman about the residency application process. Nuff said.

There's a difference between just matching Anesthesiology vs matching at a decent Anesthesiology program. The same applies to all other specialties.

TDLR: first year medical students need to be quiet and stop trying to lecture people about board study, high yield materials, and residency application

 

[thegrind577]

1st year medical student who tries to lecture to an upperclassman about the residency application process. Nuff said.

There's a difference between just matching Anesthesiology vs matching at a decent Anesthesiology program. The same applies to all other specialties.

TDLR: first year medical students need to be quiet and stop trying to lecture people about board study, high yield materials, and residency application

Either way thank you both for the insight. Honestly I think it just comes down to busting my ass on the step exams. Only way to outdo the odds against me. And I’m curious how the COMLEX vs USMLE scores would affect my placement? Let’s say I do great on USMLE but get pretty average scores on COMLEX. Can I still match well? I feel like COMLEX is gonna be rather irrelevant of a score especially with the merger? Being a 4th year how do you feel about it?

 

[MightBeACylon439]

Either way thank you both for the insight. Honestly I think it just comes down to busting my ass on the step exams. Only way to outdo the odds against me. And I’m curious how the COMLEX vs USMLE scores would affect my placement? Let’s say I do great on USMLE but get pretty average scores on COMLEX. Can I still match well? I feel like COMLEX is gonna be rather irrelevant of a score especially with the merger? Being a 4th year how do you feel about it?

This is so rare to the point that it's not really something thats considered except for MS1's and pre-meds. As far as "matching well" its variable as to what you wanna go into. Here's a link for the NRMP data for US osteopathic seniors in the 2018 match.

Charting Outcomes in the Match for U.S. Osteopathic Seniors

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Either way thank you both for the insight. Honestly I think it just comes down to busting my ass on the step exams. Only way to outdo the odds against me. And I’m curious how the COMLEX vs USMLE scores would affect my placement? Let’s say I do great on USMLE but get pretty average scores on COMLEX. Can I still match well? I feel like COMLEX is gonna be rather irrelevant of a score especially with the merger? Being a 4th year how do you feel about it?

Comlex is pass/fail, USMLE is what matters. Just don't fail it, and it will be fine.
Heres Interactive charting outcomes if you want to play with it:
Interactive Charting Outcomes in the Match - The Match, National Resident Matching Program

 

[Who Knows!]

Hey so thought Id give you some insight and help you make a decision. Background: I am currently a 4th year now at NYITCOM applying to Surgery.

People might disagree with me and thats fine but it seems to me the best place to attend a DO medical school is one where you are given the best chance to do exceptionally well on the boards. With that being said I feel like its less school dependent and more based on you and your individual study habits. But there are things the school can do to make your board process easier.

1) lectures not being mandatory and streamed
-this goes further than boards. lectures not being mandatory gave me the opportunity to study at my own pace, give me breaks between lectures, get ahead at times and catch up when I needed too. There be days where I didn't want to to attend/stream lectures at all for whatever reason and others where I could stream a week worth of lectures. During board season essentially 75 % percent of my class stopped attending lectures. Everyone focused the majority of their time into boards, watching Pathoma and reading first aid. About two weeks before the exam I would study pathoma/ first aid for that specific system. Then a few days before I would start streaming lectures picking up little details. This gave me optimal time for board preparation.

The lectures did a good job in my opinion covering a lot of board material.

2) Dedication time - its important to ask schools and the students who attended them how much dedication time they got before taking boards. Majority of my class took their boards sometime in June and we finished second year in middle of April so we had about 6 weeks total.

Other factors to consider:
3) support system
-medical school is a stressful time, its important that you have friends and family to kick back and relax when you have the time too.

4) Rotations - this was probably my least important factor. they will constantly change when going through school. Majority of DO schools do their rotations at community hospitals. I hate rotations in general (something about working and not getting paid pisses me off) but after being at both an academic setting and community ones I say you get more involved in community ones.

if you have any more questions feel free to message me.

 

[Dixon Hill]

1st year medical student who tries to lecture to an upperclassman about the residency application process. Nuff said.

There's a difference between just matching Anesthesiology vs matching at a decent Anesthesiology program. The same applies to all other specialties.

TDLR: first year medical students need to be quiet and stop trying to lecture people about board study, high yield materials, and residency application

2nd, 3rd, or 4th yr medical student lecturing people a year or two behind him/her, who also has the brass to pontificate universally that "all DOs are straight up trash." Logicians would call that unwarranted extrapolation & predisposed agenda based on a single sample of limited scope. BTW, lecture me if you like & ego requires it. I'm long past student *&* have no ego to bruise. }

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Comlex is pass/fail, USMLE is what matters. Just don't fail it, and it will be fine.

Not if you want a competitive specialty. Many of the former AOA programs in competitive specialties will still be using mainly COMLEX to compare DO students for the foreseeable future. All of our programs don't care about USMLE. The PD of one ortho program I know of has straight up said you need a 700 to be considered for his program from now on. Now that's a dramatic example but for the people who want competitive specialties yes COMLEX still very much matters because former AOA programs are going to be your target.

 

[hallowmann]

OP, your options should be LECOM or VCOM. Connections don't mean much unless you want to match in NYC (and given the GME treatment in NYC, why would you?). COL is going to be so high at NYCOM plus the outrageous tuition bump. The truth is all you're paying for is for being in NY, and it's not like you'll have a ton of time to enjoy it anyways. You'll come out with double the loans you would have at LECOM and probably 75% more than what you'd have at VCOM. It's simply not worth it.

If you can live with the admin BS and the rules, LECOM PBL is a good choice. Good training, decent rotations, and a good rep from programs in the area. If you can't, go to VCOM, because lets face it, it's probably very similar education and experience wise.

Yeah but isn’t it like just a couple times a week for pbl and omm, right?

You'll be in class 5 days a week, but you're usually only mandated to be there 2-3 hrs in any given day, once PBL is in full effect (~Oct of 1st year, because of anatomy you're there longer).

 

[thegrind577]

Are you seriously trying to lecture to me on residency application as either a first year or second year? LOL. Worry about nailing your Step 1 first.

I get my info from people that know the actual inner pulses of some programs, not from 1st or 2nd year deadbeats on sdn who think they know everything. It’s funny that you bring up the Anesthesiology numbers, bc a lot of DOs from my school are thinking of GAS as a possiblity due to their subpar board scores.

I’m telling you that you need to have around the averages to have a comfortable number of IIs at mid tier programs. It’s easy to dismiss the diff in quality of training bet diff levels of programs as a first or second year. But, if you have the opportunity to rotate during your third year at both a community hospital vs a tier 1 medical center, there’s a huge diff in management of pathologies. I don’t know about you, but I personally want to be well trained in all the bread and butter cases as well as the zebras.

As far as the diff treatment from residency programs as a DO vs a MD, why don’t you wait until at least third or fourth year before you give me this junk? It’s a fact that a MD with similar stats to a DO will get 20-40% greater yield in term of IIs to higher quality programs. It is too early for you to worry about this stuff but just be prepared to bust your behind and go the extra distance just to have comparable II results to your MD counterpart.

Keep drinking the big daddy DO stuff. Give it some time. Your tune will likely change just like others.

I don’t know about you but I think I’m perfectly reasonable to call all the stuff taught in my first two years as trash when I see different and better ways of doing things during my third year.

Quick question here: As a DO student would we not be able to rotate at well known medical centers? Like If I wanted to rotate at GW, Georgetown, would that not be an option just because Im a DO student and DO schools dont have that kinda pull?

 

[Magus5454]

Quick question here: As a DO student would we not be able to rotate at well known medical centers? Like If I wanted to rotate at GW, Georgetown, would that not be an option just because Im a DO student and DO schools dont have that kinda pull?

3rd year, not likely. 4th year if you want to arrange via VSAS you can rotate wherever accepts that and you

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Quick question here: As a DO student would we not be able to rotate at well known medical centers? Like If I wanted to rotate at GW, Georgetown, would that not be an option just because Im a DO student and DO schools dont have that kinda pull?

Medical centers like that do not allow 3rd year medical students to rotate outside of their home students. 4th year you can rotate wherever will accept you after applying through VSAS as mentioned above.

 

[crazyboi1993]

OP, your options should be LECOM or VCOM. Connections don't mean much unless you want to match in NYC (and given the GME treatment in NYC, why would you?). COL is going to be so high at NYCOM plus the outrageous tuition bump. The truth is all you're paying for is for being in NY, and it's not like you'll have a ton of time to enjoy it anyways. You'll come out with double the loans you would have at LECOM and probably 75% more than what you'd have at VCOM. It's simply not worth it.

If you can live with the admin BS and the rules, LECOM PBL is a good choice. Good training, decent rotations, and a good rep from programs in the area. If you can't, go to VCOM, because lets face it, it's probably very similar education and experience wise.



You'll be in class 5 days a week, but you're usually only mandated to be there 2-3 hrs in any given day, once PBL is in full effect (~Oct of 1st year, because of anatomy you're there longer).

Could you please comment on and elaborate on what you mean by given the GME treatment in NYC? I am just curious!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to pre-med.