Which Damn School?!

[medschoolsoon]

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I understand that this is a good problem to have but if anyone could possibly tell me how they picked their school, that would be amazing. I can't decide between NSU (assuming I get in), AZCOM, DMU, and TUCOM-NV. I have looked through the pros and cons, talked to students, etc. but I'm having a hard time. AZCOM seems to be my #1 choice, but tuition is ridiculous, not to mention cost of living. So what is a fella to do? Thanks!

 

[NjD00]

You simply have to take EVERYTHING into consideration. There are schools which are "better" than others score-wise. etc, but basically, each person has a school that they will fit at best.

My considerations:

1) COMLEX scores...don't have to be the best (AZCOM's are generally highest) but I wanted to make sure the school has a history of good pass rates
2)Area: do you want to live in suburbs, large city, or more rural? I want medium to large city, which is why I turned down WVSOM
3)Tuition/cost of living: schools can be anywhere from like $40k/year total (tuition and expenses) to $75k a year
4)Programs: Do you want a great OMM program, or a dual degree program? make sure to check out if the school you want has what you want
5)Facilities: not most important, but really, who wants a school with not-so-great facilities
6)Faculty: VERY important...make sure to talk to faculty at the interview
7)Curriculum: Do you want lecture based, problem based, or independent? And if you don't really care...do they have the classes and schedule you want? For instance, LECOM and AZCOM have mandatory classes from 8-5 every day...some schools have less lecture, some are PBL, etc
8)THE FEEL: THE MOST IMPORTANT thing...make sure you feel like you can excel at the school, make sure it has the FEEL that you want when you interview. Some feel more like a family setting, some more/less friendly than others, some more professional. If you can't feel comfortable at school, you drastically hurt your chances to excel there

I'm sure I could think of more and there are plenty more things I'm thinking about, especiallh if you have a sig. other...but for me, these are the main things.

Feel free to add to these everyone!

 

[NjD00]

i forgot one more thing....


9)Rotations/Residencies: This was also important in my choices. Some schools have great rotations close to the school, some you have to travel. You have to ask yourself whether you want to stay near(for family or other reasons) or whether you can travel 3rd/4th year if you want to. Also, it's important to check out whether the graduating students are getting the residencies that they want. Generally i think it's pretty good if 85-90% of the students get 1st or 2nd choice

 

[czanetti]

What would you consider as the most important aka. Priority break down of this list???

How much do you think Cost should have a bearing on our decision?
Thinking of having (260,000 dollars in debt after for years is daunting) I think it is more so comming from the position of a middle class student who can't even coceive being in that much debt.

(out of state) 4 years NSU-COM- 260,000 - w/ fellowship 5 years - 230,000
-COMLEX- aprox- 95%
-Great location great feel
-Dual degree programs MPH scholarship (don't pay for MPH degree) if you get your DO degree with it
-Good GPA/MCAT avg
-A lot of money concern about debt

Out of state 4 years TCOM- 208,000- COMLEX- 100%
-Dual degree programs have to pay for additional degree accept in the case with DO/PhD program
-High GPA/MCAT avg

Out of state LECOM-Bra 4 years- 205,000- COMLEX- not sure
-PBL
-Dont know COMPLEX, GPA/MCAT avg

In state resident UMDNJ-SOM (easy to become resident)- 178,000
-COMLEX- Not sure
-Dual Degree program (low tuition/cost of living)
-High GPA/MCAT avg

 

[Orthodoc40]

There are other good threads about how people chose their school if you do a search. Mostly posts by 1st year students, I think.
HunterGatherer made a GREAT list a while back on this...

Great choices to have. Congrats & good luck!

 

[NjD00]

What would you consider as the most important aka. Priority break down of this list???

How much do you think Cost should have a bearing on our decision?
Thinking of having (260,000 dollars in debt after for years is daunting) I think it is more so comming from the position of a middle class student who can't even coceive being in that much debt.

(out of state) 4 years NSU-COM- 260,000 - w/ fellowship 5 years - 230,000
-COMLEX- aprox- 95%
-Great location great feel
-Dual degree programs MPH scholarship (don't pay for MPH degree) if you get your DO degree with it
-Good GPA/MCAT avg
-A lot of money concern about debt

Out of state 4 years TCOM- 208,000- COMLEX- 100%
-Dual degree programs have to pay for additional degree accept in the case with DO/PhD program
-High GPA/MCAT avg

Out of state LECOM-Bra 4 years- 205,000- COMLEX- not sure
-PBL
-Dont know COMPLEX, GPA/MCAT avg

In state resident UMDNJ-SOM (easy to become resident)- 178,000
-COMLEX- Not sure
-Dual Degree program (low tuition/cost of living)
-High GPA/MCAT avg

quite frankly, the feel of the school is absolutely #1 for me and should not be affected by the cost. However, if you like two schools quite a bit, then cost could be the deciding factor. 54k per year compared to 60k per year is pretty much pennies when you're talking about $200,000 debt anyways, but I would consider cost more if the difference is larger. For example, you love two schools, but one costs 60k and the other 45k....hey, that's $60,000 difference in price over 4 years

NSU-COM is the most expensive of yours by at least 30k, but if you liked it way more than the others...that's what you should be most concerned about. As for the other things in my list, I just considered them all together, I don't really think of any being much more important than others except for how good the school feels to me

 

[jbone]

Was accepted into all of those schools and chose DMU hands down. But you have to go with your gut feeling when you are having a tough time making a choice. 3 months into it now and it has been everthing I expected and more. Good luck with your choice and PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[czanetti]

Tobe 261,000 dollars in debt seems a lot . Not counting interest and so forth. Is this number relativly a common figure?

 

[Orthodoc40]

You don't know what financial aid you're going to get from these places, either. Therefore the cost could change for each school - maybe by a lot - who knows?

I thought DMU felt like a great place, but I don't like the 8 (2 teams w/4 each) to a cadaver - you only do every other dissection with your team?? 🙁 That's a lot of money to pay for half an experience!
Anyway I'm rambling but the point is - I agree w/ NjDO0 - look for the school w/ the right 'feel' for you.

 

[Krazykritter]

Trust me Othrodoc...Every other dissection is plenty. You honestly do not learn that much when you are dissecting b/c you have to work your ass off just to expose everything you are looking for. It is really nice when you can go in the next day & review the things done the last hour b/c they are already exposed for you.

 

[NjD00]

You don't know what financial aid you're going to get from these places, either. Therefore the cost could change for each school - maybe by a lot - who knows?

I thought DMU felt like a great place, but I don't like the 8 (2 teams w/4 each) to a cadaver - you only do every other dissection with your team?? 🙁 That's a lot of money to pay for half an experience!
Anyway I'm rambling but the point is - I agree w/ NjDO0 - look for the school w/ the right 'feel' for you.

thanks Orthodoc!

Also...at LECOM the students don't even DO the dissections. They fully believe there that full dissection is a waste of time, at least for skinning and removing adipose, etc. The cadaver is pre-dissected by students during the summer who feel like they really need full dissection...such as those considering surgery. Except for those paid summer dissectors, students just poke through and find things, which they believe is actually the best way to do it.

 

[scpod]

thanks Orthodoc!

Also...at LECOM the students don't even DO the dissections. They fully believe there that full dissection is a waste of time, at least for skinning and removing adipose, etc. The cadaver is pre-dissected by students during the summer who feel like they really need full dissection...such as those considering surgery. Except for those paid summer dissectors, students just poke through and find things, which they believe is actually the best way to do it.

That's sort of right, but a little misleading. There is a group of 2nd years (who scored well on Anatomy) that will come in just before school starts to begin dissections on the cadavers. Dissections have been taking place all semester long. Every day when you come into lab, a little more has been done for you. Since the 2nd years are in class now, much of the recect dissection is actually done by the professors. The thing to remember is that we spend only 10 weeks in anatomy. They essentially took the Anatomy course (and professors) from USF medical school and told them to do their 20 week course in 10 weeks. It's not really that they believe dissection is a waste of time, there just is no way that you could do it that quickly and spend most of your lab time in wading through fat and fascia. Histology and Embryology are taught as a part of the same course, so much of your lab time is actually spent on histo slides, computer simulations, etc. in addition to cadavers.

But, keep in mind that Anatomy really isn't over after those 10 weeks because you are constantly exposed to it in OMM, and you are expected to pick Anatomy issues in your PBL classes. For instance, we just did a heart case in PBL that involved a congenital defect. We'll be tested on heart anatomy and embryology on the next PBL test. We're on like our second lung case in PBL too. This one involves cancer, so we'll be tested on lung anatomy and histology on the next PBL test. In fact, although we have a brief introduction to neuroanatomy in the head and neck section of Anatomy, most of neuro is learned in PBL too.

 

[It'sElectric]

Trust me Othrodoc...Every other dissection is plenty. You honestly do not learn that much when you are dissecting b/c you have to work your ass off just to expose everything you are looking for. It is really nice when you can go in the next day & review the things done the last hour b/c they are already exposed for you.

Listen to this piece of advice, Orthodoc. Anatomy dissection is incredibly overrated. I firmly believe that it is incredibly beneficial to at least dissect a little, but you will NOT want to take part in every single lab. 2 dissection labs a week is more than enough. The majority of the time you don't even know what the hell you're doing. Trying to find a nerve that's covered in fascia is not an easy task, especially when there are a 50 other veins, branches, and whatnot all in the same area.

Before I started dissecting, I thought along the same lines as you. I can more than assure you that I am now incredibly thankful that we have 2 groups dissecting the same body.

 

[DOctorJay]

go to the school with the lowest tuition period (as long as you feel comfortable there). all the schools are good and your COMLEX score will be based on what you put into it. we all use the same review books right.

and if you are really having trouble ask the different schools what they can do for you in terms of scholarship. i did this and it worked for me, played schools against each other and got a better deal.

best of luck to you all!

 

[ScootDoc]

I understand that this is a good problem to have but if anyone could possibly tell me how they picked their school, that would be amazing. I can't decide between NSU (assuming I get in), AZCOM, DMU, and TUCOM-NV. I have looked through the pros and cons, talked to students, etc. but I'm having a hard time. AZCOM seems to be my #1 choice, but tuition is ridiculous, not to mention cost of living. So what is a fella to do? Thanks!

I just received an AZCOM acceptance today! They, so far, are #1 as far as DO schools go. They have incredible pass rates, great facilities, and the cost of living in Glendale is relatively inexpensive in comparison to the rest of the Phoenix area. If none of my MD schools come through for me. I will be at AZCOM for sure! Good Luck! Hope verything goes well for eveyone.

 

[medschoolsoon]

I just received an AZCOM acceptance today! They, so far, are #1 as far as DO schools go. They have incredible pass rates, great facilities, and the cost of living in Glendale is relatively inexpensive in comparison to the rest of the Phoenix area. If none of my MD schools come through for me. I will be at AZCOM for sure! Good Luck! Hope verything goes well for eveyone.

When did you interview?

 

[ScootDoc]

SEPT 22. I was in the first batch of interviewees!

 

[Orthodoc40]

Trust me Othrodoc...Every other dissection is plenty. You honestly do not learn that much when you are dissecting b/c you have to work your ass off just to expose everything you are looking for. It is really nice when you can go in the next day & review the things done the last hour b/c they are already exposed for you.

Wow this is something I hadn't thought of before... That changes things.

Listen to this piece of advice, Orthodoc. Anatomy dissection is incredibly overrated. I firmly believe that it is incredibly beneficial to at least dissect a little, but you will NOT want to take part in every single lab. 2 dissection labs a week is more than enough. The majority of the time you don't even know what the hell you're doing. Trying to find a nerve that's covered in fascia is not an easy task, especially when there are a 50 other veins, branches, and whatnot all in the same area.

Before I started dissecting, I thought along the same lines as you. I can more than assure you that I am now incredibly thankful that we have 2 groups dissecting the same body.

Wow - thanks ALL of you guys for mentioning this stuff about dissecting & anatomy. Maybe I thought it was going to be really important b/c of my interest in surgery, but it sounds like even then it isn't gonna be THAT big of a deal to be the one doing it all.... Interesting.

I was nervous to say anything about that - now I'm glad I did. More to think about! Thanks! (Are you both at DMU, BTW?)

 

[chrisv]

Pick anything, but DMU. Leave that one for me! 😉

 

[kaikai128]

What would you consider as the most important aka. Priority break down of this list???

How much do you think Cost should have a bearing on our decision?
Thinking of having (260,000 dollars in debt after for years is daunting) I think it is more so comming from the position of a middle class student who can't even coceive being in that much debt.

(out of state) 4 years NSU-COM- 260,000 - w/ fellowship 5 years - 230,000
-COMLEX- aprox- 95%
-Great location great feel
-Dual degree programs MPH scholarship (don't pay for MPH degree) if you get your DO degree with it
-Good GPA/MCAT avg
-A lot of money concern about debt

Out of state 4 years TCOM- 208,000- COMLEX- 100%
-Dual degree programs have to pay for additional degree accept in the case with DO/PhD program
-High GPA/MCAT avg

Out of state LECOM-Bra 4 years- 205,000- COMLEX- not sure
-PBL
-Dont know COMPLEX, GPA/MCAT avg

In state resident UMDNJ-SOM (easy to become resident)- 178,000
-COMLEX- Not sure
-Dual Degree program (low tuition/cost of living)
-High GPA/MCAT avg

I am a little bit confused as to where you are getting your 260K debt for NSU, and furthermore the 230K with the fellowship.

I don't remember exactly, but I thought that the yearly budget this year was ~56K for out of state (x4) = 224K.

With the fellowship, You pay for all of your first two years of school. (56K x2=112K), and then only for living expenses after that. 20K/yr should be PLENTY to live off of x3yrs=60K. 112+60=172K.

I don't know, maybe your numbers are concrete reserached numbers...but they just seemed a bit off.

 

[czanetti]

I'm getting it directly off the NSU-COM financial aid website I came up w/ 230,000 with the fellowship by taking the costs of forth year and subtracting tuition becuase while your fellow you still need to pay for everything else, atleast that is what admissions said.

http://medicine.nova.edu/comsas/forms/standard_budget.pdf

heres the link take a gander and add it up for yourself

 

[It'sElectric]

Wow this is something I hadn't thought of before... That changes things.



Wow - thanks ALL of you guys for mentioning this stuff about dissecting & anatomy. Maybe I thought it was going to be really important b/c of my interest in surgery, but it sounds like even then it isn't gonna be THAT big of a deal to be the one doing it all.... Interesting.

I was nervous to say anything about that - now I'm glad I did. More to think about! Thanks! (Are you both at DMU, BTW?)

Yes, I'm at DMU. To clarify things, I would never got to a school that doesn't allow you to dissect at all, because I honestly believe it's important to have the experience of dissection (people that donate their bodies are obviously incredibly kind and brave to do so). Getting that hands on experience of being able to poke and prod inside a body is, in my opinion, a necessity.

That being said, it does often get tedious and tiresome (especially when you spend an hour and a half looking for 3 or 4 nerves). Anatomy lab is overrated in the sense that it won't teach you nearly everything, and there is only so much dissection you'll really want to do. 2 required labs a week for an entire semester in addition to the time you come into lab outside of regular class is MORE than enough.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

You don't know what financial aid you're going to get from these places, either. Therefore the cost could change for each school - maybe by a lot - who knows?

I thought DMU felt like a great place, but I don't like the 8 (2 teams w/4 each) to a cadaver - you only do every other dissection with your team?? 🙁 That's a lot of money to pay for half an experience!
Anyway I'm rambling but the point is - I agree w/ NjDO0 - look for the school w/ the right 'feel' for you.

Lots of schools have groups trading dissections, and believe me, you'll appreciate getting to spend less time in lab. My school seems to have the exact same setup as DMU where we dissect every other lab, so we spend one to two afternoons a week in lab. The thing is that dissection can be a huge time waste because you spend all this time removing fat and trying to figure out what the heck you're looking at. You can learn the stuff just as well from just touching and looking at an already dissected cadaver. From what I've seen, the trend is actually moving away from spending time in anatomy lab, which from an academic perspective really makes sense.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Lots of schools have groups trading dissections, and believe me, you'll appreciate getting to spend less time in lab. My school seems to have the exact same setup as DMU where we dissect every other lab, so we spend one to two afternoons a week in lab. The thing is that dissection can be a huge time waste because you spend all this time removing fat and trying to figure out what the heck you're looking at. You can learn the stuff just as well from just touching and looking at an already dissected cadaver. From what I've seen, the trend is actually moving away from spending time in anatomy lab, which from an academic perspective really makes sense.

Ah, all of those times I spent up to my forearms in cadavers in the prep room at the funeral home......sounds like the resulting knowledge of anatomy will finally be of use.

 

[kaikai128]

I'm getting it directly off the NSU-COM financial aid website I came up w/ 230,000 with the fellowship by taking the costs of forth year and subtracting tuition becuase while your fellow you still need to pay for everything else, atleast that is what admissions said.

http://medicine.nova.edu/comsas/forms/standard_budget.pdf

heres the link take a gander and add it up for yourself

My calculation for non-fellowships was only 6K off of the web site, I will count myself as correct.

For the fellowship, you don't have to pay tuition for 3rd or 4th year, so you needed to subtract off tuition for two years--which is why I questioned your number. Its all numbers in the end...and it doesn't matter. You shouldn't pick a school based upon cost, nor should you count on wanting to do a fellowship because you have no clue what you will want in another 3 years.

 

[czanetti]

Smile

 

[kaikai128]

if you add up the cost for all for years and subtract tuition out of 3 and 4 and add just cost of living for one additional year according to those numbers is approx 230,000 and yes it does have a factor in choosing a school becuase the national avg of indebtness last year was 190,000 dollars I can see one going up to around 200,000 but to go another 60,000 more in debt I don't want to have to pay off my loans for 20 to 30 years after med school it does have a factor when you were brought up in a family making 40,000 a year and you calculate indebtness + interest if you want to have a family after medical school, I'm not saying it isn't possible but I think to not acknowledge the massive debt you will be in is a fallacy. Best school, best location (fit), best price. Way in all of these factors and make a choice

I am still very confused....but I guess that is what medical students are good at. I'll do the math one more time...and then I just give up.

Total Cost when doing Fellowship
Tuition Year 1: 33K
Living Expenses Year 1: 20K
Tuition Year 2: 33K
Living Expenses Year 2: 20K
Living Expenses Year 3 (Fellowship, no tuition): 20K
Living Expenses Year 4 (no tuition): 20K
Living Expenses Year 5 (no tuition): 20K

That is a grand total of 166K, +/- 15K = 181K at most.

My entire point is that if you are interested in doing the fellowship, there is a definite advantage when it comes to money matters. I don't want to argue, if you really want to know--call the school. The fellows love what they are doing.

 

[czanetti]

I'm sorry I'm really just stressed out thinking about all this stuff at once its driving me crazy here I aplogize if I came across as agrumentative. Thank you very much for your help and I appreciate your input.

Just trying to way out my options and control cost as much as possible.