Visiting D.O. schools this week. Looking for your advice.

[Charles Schmidt]

Hi,

I'm going to visit the D.O. schools at Pikeville College (KY), Virginia Tech, and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic this week. I'm interested to know what kinds of things y'all think are important to ask/see/do to help find out the most I can from each one. How would you go about it?

I'm still a little more than a year away from completing my undergraduate work, and I plan to visit many more schools before I choose a doctoral program. These will be the first D.O. schools that I've visited. Any tips or just general thoughts will be appreciated.

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[OMMFellow06]

Make sure that you talk to some of the current students there and see what they think. Talk to a few random students, not just people that they want you to talk to. You'll get a lot of great info from current students(as long as they're friendly enough to give you an answer and if they're not, don't take that as being how everyone there is, it might just be one unhappy person that goes there)
Things to check out:
1. found out from students that are currently enrolled there if they like it
2. Check out the area around the school, see if would be able to live there for 4 years(is it too quiet or loud for you, boring, etc...)
3. how are the classes run(if they are clinically oriented or not)
4. how many hours of classes there are
5. what is the faculty like

You really have to somehow figure out if you're going to be happy going there for FOUR YEARS!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[TMarkus]

You have to figure you are going to get a good education no matter where you go. It is an old idea that you get out what you put in. If you work hard you will be rewarded. That said, I think you need to try and get a general feel for the place. As OMMFellow said, talk to people. Ask yourself, are they happy? Is there a sense of pride? Are the students friendly and willing to talk to you?

I got into four schools this year. The last place I thought I would want to go turned out to be one of the better choices because of the people I met while there. I would like to think it makes a difference.

Some specifics that may be worth considering:

* Is there a mandatory attendance policy for all classes?
* What kind of support is there for struggling students? I don't mean to say you will struggle, but it is always nice to know if there is a safety net below you.
*Quarter system or Semester?
*What kind of curriculum?
*Early patient contact?
*Research requirements? Most DO schools will not have these, but it is good to ask just the same.
*Wired campus?
*Are computers required?
*Benefits Plan? If you are not on your parents plan anymore this could be huge. Most schools require you to carry insurance. Some, not all will have a plan you can buy into.

If anything else comes to mind I will drop you a line.

Hope it helps, good luck.
-troy

 

[DrInW8ing]

Charles,

If your going to visit VCOM, The facilities are not open to view yet. They open in June. So come prepared with many questions. Ask to see a layout of the facility.

Which admissions person is showing you around?

 

[rchrest1]

Get a feel for how the current students like the schools. I admire your efforts to choose the school that is best for you.

 

[PublicHealth]

How did you guys find out about when DO schools have open houses? I'm interested in checking out NYCOM and PCOM, and was not able to find any information about open houses on their website.

 

[OMMFellow06]

PublicHealth, i just sent you a pm.

 

[Charles Schmidt]

DrInW8ing,

I'll be meeting with Megan Settle this coming Wednesday afternoon at VCOM.

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

Originally posted by DrInW8ing
Charles,

If your going to visit VCOM, The facilities are not open to view yet. They open in June. So come prepared with many questions. Ask to see a layout of the facility.

Which admissions person is showing you around?

for good pictures of the construction progress, check out the contractor's website.

The latest pictures are April 24, 2003.

 

[DrInW8ing]

Charles,

Megan is extremely nice and outgoing. She should will be able to answer all of your questions about VCOM, V-Tech and Blacksburg.

 

[jekel]

If you have any questions about Pikeville, I can try to answer them. I will be attending in the fall. I would recommend getting a guided tour there, though. They lock the buildings, so you wouldn't be able to see anything otherwise.