Western-COMP or Des Moines?

[ken1284]

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Right now I am trying to decide which school that I should attend. Although I was excited when I found out that I got accepted by DMU yesteraday, I am hesitant to withdraw from COMP. There are things that I like about each school. I applied to COMP because of its diverse student body, its location, and the opportunity to do a residency in CA. But when I visited DMU, I really liked their curriculum as well as their facility. Also, DMU has lower tuition(<$7000) compared to COMP. If anyone of you were in a similar position last year, how did u make your final decision?

 

[Jinyaoysiu]

I'd normally say go to COMP, but judging from what I see, which suggests that there are many students who have no doubt they want to go to COMP but are waitlisted, I'd say it'd probably help them out as well as satisfying your own doubt if you choose to go to DMU.

In terms of which school is a better choice, only someone that graduated from both schools could give you that answer, and even then it's that person's personal assessment and might not be relevant to you. To you, it depends mostly on where you want to be and where you want to do your residency and if the difference in tuition is worth it being in one place over another. Either way, both schools will serve you well and you are in a good position.

I think the bottomline is that you know what's important to you, and just go with that feeling. Accept the doubt and uncertainty as they are, and just go with your decision. Your future is unsure but that's the definition of future and you definitely don't want to make life decisions while being influenced by an online forum.

 

[ana]

Right now I am trying to decide which school that I should attend. Although I was excited when I found out that I got accepted by DMU yesteraday, I am hesitant to withdraw from COMP. There are things that I like about each school. I applied to COMP because of its diverse student body, its location, and the opportunity to do a residency in CA. But when I visited DMU, I really liked their curriculum as well as their facility. Also, DMU has lower tuition(<$7000) compared to COMP. If anyone of you were in a similar position last year, how did u make your final decision?

Let's see.... Iowa versus.... sunny Southern Cal.... hmmm tough choice.

I am sure either school will be fine, seriously. If you aren't worried about the cultural differences between IA and CA, then choose based on whatever criteria are important to you. Or better yet, look at their match lists, and decide which one you think will suit your expectations better.

However, I would not make too much of the tuition difference. I had a choice between a lower tuition school far away and a private and expen$ive school 15 miles from my home. I chose the latter. The difference in tuition is about one year's salary as a physician. Ask yourself whether you would have been willing to wait one year (hence delaying getting a physician's salary one year) to go to a school that was more desireable to you.

 

[misspiti]

I have to say that I am high waitlisted at Western and would go there without a doubt if accepted this year, so your choosing Des Moines over Western would benefit me, but all biases aside...

i think that curriculum is important to consider when choosing a school...if you like what you're being taught and how it's being taught to you, i think you would do better because you would be more motivated to attend class and study.
but I think Western also has a good curriculum so whichever school you go to I'm sure you'd be okay.

Also, you're from Wisconsin...you should also consider the location of both schools when deciding... I agree the weather in cali is pretty much sunny all the time, but some people prefer real seasons. So I guess just consider those things when deciding.
good luck with whatever you decide 🙂

 

[Trevelyan]

If you choose to attend COMP, I'll be there! 😎

 

[Flyfisher]

COMP is good, its the best medical school I've ever gone too.

One other thing to look at is CLASS SIZE. Our classes are pretty big... 220. if DMU is alot smaller it might be a consideration. I think you'd probably get a better anatomy and OMM experience with a smaller class.

 

[Trevelyan]

I think DMU's is actually larger than that. Then on top of that, some classes are taken together with students from other programs, so the lecture hall is pretty packed.

 

[kealaq]

COMP is good, its the best medical school I've ever gone too.

One other thing to look at is CLASS SIZE. Our classes are pretty big... 220. if DMU is alot smaller it might be a consideration. I think you'd probably get a better anatomy and OMM experience with a smaller class.

Hey flyfisher,
Of your 220 students, how many actually go to class regularly? I heard from other COMP 2010 students that they're not going to lecture. Is that true, because I want to get a feeling of the "school culture" & class attendance.

But you do go to the required gross anatomy, OMM, & ECM labs. How are the labs split up, since I imagine not everyone is doing lab at the same time?

 

[Flyfisher]

Hey flyfisher,
Of your 220 students, how many actually go to class regularly? I heard from other COMP 2010 students that they're not going to lecture. Is that true, because I want to get a feeling of the "school culture" & class attendance.

But you do go to the required gross anatomy, OMM, & ECM labs. How are the labs split up, since I imagine not everyone is doing lab at the same time?

Hey these are good questions. Well I'd say about 1/2 of our students are in lecture now and I'm here, but obviously not paying much attention. after anatomy class which is the first class, lecture attendance is not required. I use going to class as a time management tool, other people prefer to watch the lectures on video because you can speed it up/pause it. The video is all streaming on the web.

Anatomy is the very first class and there are quizes at the beginning of each class... they are group/open note quizes done online, but you never know exactly when they are going to be taken so people just go to class. The class hour is after lab usually at 1pm. Lab is in the morning and you attend lab every other day. There are groups of 8 for each cadaver and four people work on it at one time.

We have ECM once a week and it is split up into many groups, so in the course of an afternoon you probably have a standardized patient encounter in a group of 6, 2 or alone and then a discussion with a doctor afterwards. some people get frustrated because sometimes you won't start your ECM until 4 or later while other people get to start right at 1. I think our ECM is pretty good. I've learned alot about H&P and presenting a patient to a doc.

For OMM we are all in the OMM lab at once, but there are fellows and TAs assisting. there is 1 TA for 4 students and 12 fellows for the whole class in addition to 5 or 6 faculty. There are also reviews and workshops put on by the OMM club (UAAO) which are really valuable for learning, and its usually small group learning directly with really experienced faculty and visiting cliniciancs.

The culture is nice here... we had a website with shared study materials www.comp2010.org. Also lots of study charts and guides get sent out by email.Our class is pretty laid back and fun, there is probably about 5% that is in the front row and uptight/asks questions etc.

Additionally, the second years are really supportive and helpful. we all have a specific second year that is our "COMPanion" that we meet in the fall. Mine lets me borrow books, sends me notes etc.

So this is probably more than you wanted to know, if you have any further questions just ask!!

 

[tennisgal018]

There are things that I like about each school. I applied to COMP because of its diverse student body, its location, and the opportunity to do a residency in CA. But when I visited DMU, I really liked their curriculum as well as their facility. Also, DMU has lower tuition(<$7000) compared to COMP. If anyone of you were in a similar position last year, how did u make your final decision?

A DMU '11 student here and since this seems full of COMP people, I'm going to play a little devil's advocate. Being from Seattle, I wasn't exactly sure about moving to Iowa when I first got my acceptance, but DMU won me over. The school's community is amazing, the curriculum is innovative, the facilities are great (as you mentioned) and Des Moines is a great place to live. I immediately felt at home on campus and felt welcome by every student I met. In my experience, that's fairly rare (hence my decision to attend DMU once I was offered acceptance). Not to mention the cheap housing in Des Moines... 😉

As to the class size, DMU has a class of about ~220 as well, but it is true that the first years have classes with the podiatry students. I believe the combined classes equal ~300 students (that is, if everyone goes to class... which they typically don't). In addition, DMU has a strong match list (you can check out some of the DMU class threads for more info).

I have a couple of suggestions:

1) Just because you attended school in CA does NOT mean you will automatically get a residency position in CA. You still have to go through the match process, just like everyone else.

2) Pick the school you felt most comfortable with. Where did you feel you made a stronger connection? Chances are, if you felt more comfortable at one school or the other, it will probably provide you with a better learning environment (which definitely matters during med school).

3) Curriculum is definitely important, but I think the way it is presented is even more so. If you are someone who benefits more from additional labs and PBLs/group work, take that into account while examining the curriculum of each respective school. Pick the school that best suits your learning style.

I hope this helps! Please PM me if you have any questions. Good luck deciding!

 

[ana]

In addition, DMU has a strong match list (you can check out some of the DMU class threads for more info).

1) Just because you attended school in CA does NOT mean you will automatically get a residency position in CA. You still have to go through the match process, just like everyone else.

2) Pick the school you felt most comfortable with...

3Pick the school that best suits your learning style.

I hope this helps! Please PM me if you have any questions. Good luck deciding!

Seriously, if someone wanted to do a residency in CA, then it would be better if they did med school in CA too. It's is possible to come back, but you really do have to work harder at it than if you had just stayed local. This is important later on because many physicians get their jobs by networking. If you also wanted to get a job in CA following graduation from residency, it helps to be known locally.

I caution people about picking a school based on the vibe they got during their brief visit. Remember that you are in an excited and vulnerable state during this time, and you can be carried away by factors that many not have anything to do with how well you like the school after matriculation.

In any school you go to, you will find a a niche, a special group of friends with whom you will bond with and be friends for life. Other than your own family and old friends, it is these people who will contribute most significantly to your happiness (which school you actually go to may be extraneous). However, you will not even meet these people until after the first day of school. And you will be surprised by whom some of these people turn out to be.

I think another reason people realize they liked their school in retrospect is because the school prepared them well for and helped them to get a good residency. If you do not like what you got on match day, no matter how fabulous the school and its faculty was, you will not be happy with the school.

Best wishes.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

your best bet is talking to 3rd year + at both schools. The first 2 years are what you put into it. Anatomy is anatomy. Histology is histology. I don't think you should base your decision on what MS I and MS II feel. The real difference plays in when your school chooses where you rotate 3rd year and when you take your boards, etc. How you can get honors vs. pass. Some schools let the attending physician decide - while others may take an attending's honors evaluation and require you to fulfill 3 other things on top of your attending's honors eval to actually get the honors grade (OSCE, Shelf, Pre-shelf) such as at Western. I read a study recently that surveyed program directors and it seems that 3rd year grades are the TOP criteria (more than step I) when choosing a student for their residency program. Other than that - think about where you'll be happiest for 3 years (MS I - III). Being close to your family and friends plays a HUGE role when you're dealing with the stress of med school that comes at any school you go to. Good luck!

 

[Orthodoc40]

My argument is 1 sided since I didn't apply to COMP. Personally, I don't know why anyone would choose COMP unless they just wanted to stay in CA (no offense intended, honestly!)

Firstly, you're closer to home (if you're actually from Wisconsin) at DMU.
Secondly, the tuition is less at DMU.

Thirdly, you can get a residency anywhere in the country from either school. In fact, DMU's 4th year is nearly all elective time - you can certainly find a way to schedule in away rotations at programs in CA that you're interested.

Look carefully at the way 3rd & 4th year is structured between the 2 schools and decide which gives you better opportunities.

For that matter, look at the way years 1 & 2 are presented & see if anything stands out. DMU has a lot of elective options I haven't seen at other schools. Maybe that doesn't matter to you, but maybe it will! Don't get caught up in facilities too much. You're only there for 2 years while doing class time.

Unfortunately, there is little to no scheduled real patient experience during year 1 & 2 at DMU (though there are probably informal ways a person can seek it out for themselves by finding a faculty member to work with). Some people don't mind that. Depends on you.

BUT, if diversity in your class, and in the neighboring areas is important to you, COMP will probably win there.

 

[NjD00]

Don't forget that Iowa has corn. I just thought I'd throw that out there since it usually comes up in all conversations about Iowa.

Oh yeah, DMU also has jbone...and me 😀

Good luck with your choice!

 

[Orthodoc40]

Ah - whoops. Someone dragged this up from May. 😛

 

[Krazykritter]

I think DMU's is actually larger than that. Then on top of that, some classes are taken together with students from other programs, so the lecture hall is pretty packed.

The bolded above statement is the biggest lie I've seen on these forums in quite awhile.

Attendance is optional so many students choose to use the posted Powerpoints & mp3's instead of attending the class. This isn't even saying anything about how the new lecture hall seats well over 250 people.