What would you consider to be the best DO schools in the south east?

[pdqpdq]

I'm looking to stay in the southeast for DO school since it's closest to my support system. I've applied to LECOM-B, NSU-KPCOM, ACOM, PCOM SoGa, VCOM-A. Which of these schools are the "better" options?

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[DO2015CA]

LECOM-B for price of tuition even though rotations will be stressful finding them. ACOM has good solid rotation network that are secured but their 1/2 year curriculum is weak as witnessed by board scores. VCOM-A would be kinda like ACOM since they share certain rotation sites.

Stay away from Nova. Ask @Goro for reasonings. PCOM-SoGA is way too new with poor infrastructure for rotations.

 

[Jloe_101]

I would apply to all of them and then get picky when I get some acceptances from them.

ACOM would be an excellent outcome

 

[Whysoez]

I'm looking to stay in the southeast for DO school since it's closest to my support system. I've applied to LECOM-B, NSU-KPCOM, ACOM, PCOM SoGa, VCOM-A. Which of these schools are the "better" options?

If you have not gotten any A from the mentioned schools, you have ZERO option to choose from.

 

[pdqpdq]

I've been accepted from all but 2. @Whysoez

 

[Whysoez]

I've been accepted from all but 2. @Whysoez

Then I would personally pick LECOM for a potential 80k less in student debt, that is like a fully spec'ed out Tesla Cybertruck right there 😀

 

[Goro]

I'm looking to stay in the southeast for DO school since it's closest to my support system. I've applied to LECOM-B, NSU-KPCOM, ACOM, PCOM SoGa, VCOM-A. Which of these schools are the "better" options?

Delete Nova. Here's why: Two of the four last years have declining first-time COMLEX pass rates. The last two years for which we have data are in the low 90s. Some 7% of their 2018 grads failed to match, ditto 4% of their Class of 2019. There are also signs of significant delay to graduation in these numbers. That’s still not good for a veteran school. I’d expect > 95% pass rates and match rates closer to 100%. These problems are you expect from a new school, not a veteran. Something is very wrong there. See: https://osteopathic.nova.edu/do/residency-board-scores.html

 

[Ho0v-man]

Lecom -B. Save your tuition money and get a high board score as they tend to do.

Goro covered NSU.

The rest are mandatory attendance nonsense in the first two years and you don’t want that.

PCOM GA is crappy and has weird policies per this site. PCOM SGA looks like trash.

 

[Sleepingdoc]

Go to the cheapest one... you wont be sorry after 4 years.

 

[Med.School.Hopeful]

Lecom -B. Save your tuition money and get a high board score as they tend to do.

Goro covered NSU.

The rest are mandatory attendance nonsense in the first two years and you don’t want that.

PCOM GA is crappy and has weird policies per this site. PCOM SGA looks like trash.

Doesn’t LECOM Bradenton also have mandatory attendance?

 

[Ho0v-man]

Doesn’t LECOM Bradenton also have mandatory attendance?

Thought they were PBL. Even if they were mandatory attendance, so are the rest (not sure here on NSU). So then Lecom still wins here by being cheaper.

 

[deleted859689]

Did you apply to CUSOM?

 

[pdqpdq]

Did you apply to CUSOM?

No I didn't bother, too far from home.

 

[DO_or_Die]

I personally liked ACOM when I interviewed, the students seem generally happy and not too stressed. Downside is mandatory attendance and their board scores are lower than average. The faculty was 100% invested in the students.

 

[arjusmc]

Doesn’t LECOM Bradenton also have mandatory attendance?

Mandatory for anatomy(lectures and labs), which is the first semester. Mandatory for PBL 3/week for about 2 hours. At least that was the info at my interview. Also, they have a strict dress code and no food or water policy in the PBL room or lecture hall.

 

[arjusmc]

I personally liked ACOM when I interviewed, the students seem generally happy and not too stressed. Downside is mandatory attendance and their board scores are lower than average. The faculty was 100% invested in the students.

I liked ACOM a lot and agree with you about their faculty and students. You can miss 40% of the lectures, some are mandatory though. I'm curious to see where their board scores are after they got rid of the Wolfpacc(maybe misspelled) test prep and gave more scheduled prep time. I'm not sure when they got rid of it and which board score stats are post removal.

Edit for typo

 

[BoneWizard]

I liked ACOM a lot and agree with you about their faculty and students. You can miss 60% of the lectures, some are mandatory though. I'm curious to see where their board scores are after they got rid of the Wolfpacc(maybe misspelled) test prep and gave more scheduled prep time. I'm not sure when they got rid of it and which board score stats are post removal.

Wait, did they tell you they were lowering attendance from 60% to 40%?
Wolfpacc change was this year. So current MS2s.

 

[arjusmc]

Wait, did they tell you they were lowering attendance from 60% to 40%?
Wolfpacc change was this year. So current MS2s.

Sorry, I misspoke, it was a long day. They told us you have to make it to 60% of the lectures with some being mandetory.

 

[Iux]

Sorry, I misspoke, it was a long day. They told us you have to make it to 60% of the lectures with some being mandetory.

I know the students are pushing for an even lower percentage but as it is now, I believe I heard from some students that 60% attendance basically results in you being at the school about 3 times/week which isn't bad imo. I may have misheard though

 

[Kirby Smart]

PCOM GA is crappy and has weird policies per this site. PCOM SGA looks like trash.

Mind expanding on the PCOM GA analysis? It's the only school I have an A at so I'm nervous lol. I toured it and stuff of course so I have an idea but I'm wondering if you're referring to anything I don't already know about?

 

[Iux]

Mind expanding on the PCOM GA analysis? It's the only school I have an A at so I'm nervous lol. I toured it and stuff of course so I have an idea but I'm wondering if you're referring to anything I don't already know about?

This is what a resident told me:

“PCOM-GA is a run of the mill DO program. Meh preclinical education, meh rotations, and they aren’t really even trying to begin residencies.
PCOM-GA has nothing positive but also not much negative compared to DO education. They did just institute mandatory attendance recently. Which sucks“

Did you apply to ACOM or CUSOM? In my opinion, those are the best DO medical schools in the southeast

 

[Kirby Smart]

This is what a resident told me:

“PCOM-GA is a run of the mill DO program. Meh preclinical education, meh rotations, and they aren’t really even trying to begin residencies.
PCOM-GA has nothing positive but also not much negative compared to DO education. They did just institute mandatory attendance recently. Which sucks“

Did you apply to ACOM or CUSOM? In my opinion, those are the best DO medical schools in the southeast

Okay, thanks for that explanation! Honestly, no. I applied to PCOM-GA first after finding that most considered it up to par with most other DO schools, and it having a fairly good/longer reputation than some of the new schools.

I was accepted fairly early on and therefore didn't apply to any more DO since I knew I'd prefer to stay in Georgia rather than be located anywhere else, and also given that I never heard about any crazy red flags the school had, nor heard anything overwhelmingly exceptional about others in comparison. I thought about applying to LECOM because of the lower price, but honestly heard a lot of bad things about their policies and such, although I know both schools have mandatory attendance.

Ultimately, I have my sights set on an Emory residency program (primary care) so I'm hoping being in the Atlanta area will help me try to develop more Emory connections, and continue to build on some light connections that I already have.

 

[BlueLion]

I was accepted to acom and pcom ga and decided to go to pcom ga. A fellow from emory told me they are very familiar and rather fond of pcom and pcom ga students. He has never heard of nor interviewed with an acom student before. Not a knock on acom, they are just newer. Acom may have "better" clinical rotations but lack in alumni establishment and connections to big metropolitan cities due to it's age. Pcom ga has rotations in ATL and you have a higher chance of networking and doing research with important people from emory, morehouse, cdc, grady, mcg, choa, gmc, wellstar, etc

 

[Iux]

Okay, thanks for that explanation! Honestly, no. I applied to PCOM-GA first after finding that most considered it up to par with most other DO schools, and it having a fairly good/longer reputation than some of the new schools.

I was accepted fairly early on and therefore didn't apply to any more DO since I knew I'd prefer to stay in Georgia rather than be located anywhere else, and also given that I never heard about any crazy red flags the school had, nor heard anything overwhelmingly exceptional about others in comparison. I thought about applying to LECOM because of the lower price, but honestly heard a lot of bad things about their policies and such, although I know both schools have mandatory attendance.

Ultimately, I have my sights set on an Emory residency program (primary care) so I'm hoping being in the Atlanta area will help me try to develop more Emory connections, and continue to build on some light connections that I already have.

In a vacuum, ACOM is the "better" overall school but since you want to stay close to home and Emory, then obviously PCOM-GA is perfectly fine. I won't bash another person's choice of school. We're all working toward the same goal

 

[Ho0v-man]

Mind expanding on the PCOM GA analysis? It's the only school I have an A at so I'm nervous lol. I toured it and stuff of course so I have an idea but I'm wondering if you're referring to anything I don't already know about?

Pretty much what the previous poster said. Very run of the mill and mandatory attendance. Iirc, they also record lectures, but don’t post them until Friday just to screw you so you have to attend AND have to pay attention to the lecturers or you’ll get impossibly behind.

 

[Iux]

Pretty much what the previous poster said. Very run of the mill and mandatory attendance. Iirc, they also record lectures, but don’t post them until Friday just to screw you so you have to attend AND have to pay attention to the lecturers or you’ll get impossibly behind.

Oh so they record lectures now? I thought they didn’t record them at all

 

[Ho0v-man]

Oh so they record lectures now? I thought they didn’t record them at all

They might not. It’s been a year or two since I’ve reviewed that info so I might be confused. But either situation is crappy.

 

[Iux]

They might not. It’s been a year or two since I’ve reviewed that info so I might be confused. But either situation is crappy.

This is what somebody said in the ACOM thread earlier this cycle:

“I have friends at PCOM GA (I am an Atlanta native, and I will caution you that their attendance policy is quite strict. I believe attendance policy is 80% or higher. The bigger thing I would warn against is that they do NOT record their lectures. I think any current med student would attest that being able to rewatch lectures is a must, especially for note taking / if you missed the lecture.”

 

[Kirby Smart]

This is what somebody said in the ACOM thread earlier this cycle:

“I have friends at PCOM GA (I am an Atlanta native, and I will caution you that their attendance policy is quite strict. I believe attendance policy is 80% or higher. The bigger thing I would warn against is that they do NOT record their lectures. I think any current med student would attest that being able to rewatch lectures is a must, especially for note taking / if you missed the lecture.”

Thanks for your responses! Follow-up Q: are PCOM and PCOM-GA given similar "reviews"?

 

[Iux]

Thanks for your responses! Follow-up Q: are PCOM and PCOM-GA given similar "reviews"?

No, they aren't because PCOM ≠ PCOM-GA and like @Goro has told me, every branch campus should be treated as a completely separate medical school who compete against each other. But with that being said I don't think it's a horrible school and I believe you can excel anywhere if you work hard enough

 

[DrStephenStrange]

IMO, best in the South-East would be CUSOM, then in 2nd I would have ACOM, and 3rd LECOM-B.

 

[Alkaidius]

Pretty much what the previous poster said. Very run of the mill and mandatory attendance. Iirc, they also record lectures, but don’t post them until Friday just to screw you so you have to attend AND have to pay attention to the lecturers or you’ll get impossibly behind.

What the £&#$??? I basically don’t function for the first two lectures in the morning...I’ve heard some questionable tactics before, but this could actively flunk people out. It’s one thing if the school isn’t your friend, but this is like being beat up in the locker room.

 

[pdqpdq]

IMO, best in the South-East would be CUSOM, then in 2nd I would have ACOM, and 3rd LECOM-B.

What do you think about VCOM-Auburn? I really preferred the location and campus in comparison to LECOM-B and ACOM.

 

[Iux]

What do you think about VCOM-Auburn? I really preferred the location and campus in comparison to LECOM-B and ACOM.

You want those AMEC rotation sites that ACOM has a monopoly on especially with the incoming step 2 ck mania. Sure Vcom-Auburn has the better location but it’s not the better overall medical school. It’s also a newer school with even less connections

 

[DrStephenStrange]

What do you think about VCOM-Auburn? I really preferred the location and campus in comparison to LECOM-B and ACOM.

Too new, I can't say. Location and Campus won't match you into residency.

 

[hungrydoc710]

What do you think about VCOM-Auburn? I really preferred the location and campus in comparison to LECOM-B and ACOM.

I have friends who go there - solid school. I go to VCOM-CC and chose to do so becuase of thier rotation sites (will be going to Charleston next year). VCOM's are all decent school but the multiple exams a week get annoying and attendance normally isn't an issue as long as you go a couple times a week. Having said that, so excited to be in Block 7. Pity you'll have to deal with P/F boards.

 

[hungrydoc710]

Lecom -B. Save your tuition money and get a high board score as they tend to do.

Goro covered NSU.

The rest are mandatory attendance nonsense in the first two years and you don’t want that.

PCOM GA is crappy and has weird policies per this site. PCOM SGA looks like trash.

OP can't get a "high board" score. Boards will be pass/fail for his class. The doom of going DO is upon 2024 and beyond... jk but only slightly.

 

[Ho0v-man]

OP can't get a "high board" score. Boards will be pass/fail for his class. The doom of going DO is upon 2024 and beyond... jk but only slightly.

Check the date. That post predates the p/f announcement. I’d still pick the cheaper tuition/PBL over any school with mandatory attendance.

Vcom-cc has some decent clinicals iirc. When I interviewed at vcom-auburn I remember thinking their third year were just acom’s scraps.

 

[Iux]

Check the date. That post predates the p/f announcement. I’d still pick the cheaper tuition/PBL over any school with mandatory attendance.

Vcom-cc has some decent clinicals iirc. When I interviewed at vcom-auburn I remember thinking their third year were just acom’s scraps.

And it still is, ACOM is the better school

 

[pre_med_2020]

Delete Nova. Here's why: Two of the four last years have declining first-time COMLEX pass rates. The last two years for which we have data are in the low 90s. Some 7% of their 2018 grads failed to match, ditto 4% of their Class of 2019. There are also signs of significant delay to graduation in these numbers. That’s still not good for a veteran school. I’d expect > 95% pass rates and match rates closer to 100%. These problems are you expect from a new school, not a veteran. Something is very wrong there. See: Residency Match Data and COMLEX Level 3 Board Scores | NSU COM

Hello!

Just out of curiosity, does their updated match-list for 2020 change your opinion on the school by any chance? I'm curious about what people think of their match list. I have heard nothing but positives from students who attend the school, but seem to hear nothing but negatives from those on SDN, so I am wondering what the truth really is.

 

[Goro]

No

Hello!

Just out of curiosity, does their updated match-list for 2020 change your opinion on the school by any chance? I'm curious about what people think of their match list. I have heard nothing but positives from students who attend the school, but seem to hear nothing but negatives from those on SDN, so I am wondering what the truth really is.

Nope. Not at all. And match lists are difficult to interpret unless you ask a person in the field

 

[Deecee2DO]

Anecdotal or not my Step 1 tutor went to Lecom B and he and his roommate both got 250+ Step 1s. He is now one of the few DOs at Hopkins for EM and his roommate is an ENT resident (as a DO) at the REAL UPenn (insanely impressive) not pennsy. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Either way ive never really heard of anything bad about lecom B and they have high board scores most years

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

out of those schools... LECOM-B