Which DO School is your favorite, explain why

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Silence in ER

Silence in ER

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Hi guys, I discovered D.O.'s last year through sdn. And since then I've been doing research into which ones I would like to apply to. My gpa isn't very high ~3.4. I haven't taken my mcat yet, so that's a huge question mark. Nevertheless, I am set on applying to at least 3 or 4 D.O schools.
Anyway, I fell in love with NOVA, for it's campus and it's quality of life. I am looking for 2 other DO schools to add to my list but I haven't really fallen in love with Touro-( cannot even get a tour from them) or Lecom. right now, my most important concerns are training and quality of life. I was hoping I could ask some sdners what their favorite DO schools are and get more suggestions for my list.
Thank you guys.
 
As you know, favorite is relative. I think what may help us help you better is if you better define what quality of life means to you. For example, do you prefer a more rural setting as opposed to an urban one, etc.?

What kinds of things are you looking for in a school? What kinds of things do you wish to avoid?
 
Silence in ER said:
Hi guys, I discovered D.O.'s last year through sdn. And since then I've been doing research into which ones I would like to apply to. My gpa isn't very high ~3.4. I haven't taken my mcat yet, so that's a huge question mark. Nevertheless, I am set on applying to at least 3 or 4 D.O schools.
Anyway, I fell in love with NOVA, for it's campus and it's quality of life. I am looking for 2 other DO schools to add to my list but I haven't really fallen in love with Touro-( cannot even get a tour from them) or Lecom. right now, my most important concerns are training and quality of life. I was hoping I could ask some sdners what their favorite DO schools are and get more suggestions for my list.
Thank you guys.
Click to expand...

I think at this point you shouldn't narrow down your list of DO schools before you get your MCAT. If you score below a 32 on your MCAT, you should add more than 3 or 4 DO schools just to be safe. But I do agree with the person above that you should think about what kind of things you are looking for in a DO school such as research opportunities, location and rotations.
 
Silence in ER said:
Hi guys, I discovered D.O.'s last year through sdn. And since then I've been doing research into which ones I would like to apply to. My gpa isn't very high ~3.4. I haven't taken my mcat yet, so that's a huge question mark. Nevertheless, I am set on applying to at least 3 or 4 D.O schools.
Anyway, I fell in love with NOVA, for it's campus and it's quality of life. I am looking for 2 other DO schools to add to my list but I haven't really fallen in love with Touro-( cannot even get a tour from them) or Lecom. right now, my most important concerns are training and quality of life. I was hoping I could ask some sdners what their favorite DO schools are and get more suggestions for my list.
Thank you guys.
Click to expand...

SDN is a great resource OP, I also found out about DO through these forums, many years ago. In any case, at this point I think you'd be better served by selecting schools not by how pretty the campus is, or if its close to the beach or the mountains, or whatever. You mentioned training, I would say training beyond 2nd year is more important than quality life or a pretty campus. Also IMO , price. Finally, you cannot make a med school list now before an MCAT score. For instance a low score (less than 10) in the BS section is a handicap when applying to Touro-NY . Are you comfortable with PBL curricula? Lecom-B is 100% PBL; also some say the admin is strict. Anyway, you get my point.

To answer your question, to me PCOM, PCOM-GA, SOMA, and ACOM (maybe MU too) would be my favorites for a combination of one or all of the following academics/rotations/hospital network/established school.

Good luck!
 
my wish list for a school (if I could have anything):
1. a little bit rural, with a city in driving distance, and warm climate if I can get it
2. close knit, supportive community ( I am coming from a top 5 school where every class was crazy difficult and it was vary hard to feel like one belonged orhad anyone supporting them). This is my dealbreaker.
3. excellent clinical training. as of now, (things will probably change), i really like er medicine, I want to have the training to diagnose any clinical issue that comes my way without having to order MRI's for everything
4. research available, if one wants to do it. I know most do schools are not research driven institutions, so it's not a dealbreaker for me.
5. summer programs that allow medical students to work abroad. I am a first gen immigrants ( citizen though), so this is really important to me.
6. trauma 1 hospital (see desire to be an er doc above)
7.bevy of extracurricular activities
8. less stress. Now before you tell me medicine is stress, wait. I get it, I know medicine is all about stress and you can't get away from it. But in undergrad I had constant stress/anxiety over exams,tests so much so that I developed nervous tics. I don't want to be stabbing other medical students in the back for residencies. I don't want teachers to be weeding me in out in order out make me fail. I don't want to go to a school where each lecture class is 200 people and never ever gets smaller. I just couldn't do that again. I hated it.
 
Silence in ER said:
my wish list for a school (if I could have anything):
1. a little bit rural, with a city in driving distance, and warm climate if I can get it
2. close knit, supportive community ( I am coming from a top 5 school where every class was crazy difficult and it was vary hard to feel like one belonged orhad anyone supporting them). This is my dealbreaker.
3. excellent clinical training. as of now, (things will probably change), i really like er medicine, I want to have the training to diagnose any clinical issue that comes my way without having to order MRI's for everything
4. research available, if one wants to do it. I know most do schools are not research driven institutions, so it's not a dealbreaker for me.
5. summer programs that allow medical students to work abroad. I am a first gen immigrants ( citizen though), so this is really important to me.
6. trauma 1 hospital (see desire to be an er doc above)
7.bevy of extracurricular activities
8. less stress. Now before you tell me medicine is stress, wait. I get it, I know medicine is all about stress and you can't get away from it. But in undergrad I had constant stress/anxiety over exams,tests so much so that I developed nervous tics. I don't want to be stabbing other medical students in the back for residencies. I don't want teachers to be weeding me in out in order out make me fail. I don't want to go to a school where each lecture class is 200 people and never ever gets smaller. I just couldn't do that again. I hated it.
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LMU-DCOM
 
Any school you get accepted to can be a favorite.

Many people get a choice of several schools after they are selected by the schools for an interview.
Some people apply to many schools (they have great numbers too) and get 1 or 2 interviews. And an interview does not equal an acceptance.

Point: We can all have favorites, but don't count on going to your "favorite" school. You may be be blessed with five acceptances, or you might only get one. Expand your list and have a broader idea of what a good school is. The application process is a little bit of a crapshoot.
 
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Any school you get accepted to can be a favorite.
Many people get a choice of several schools after they are selected by the schools for an interview.
Some people apply to many school (they have great numbers too) and get 1 or 2 interviews. And an interview does not equal an acceptance.

Point: We can all have favorites, but don't count on going to your "favorite" school. You may be be blessed with five acceptances, or you might only get one. Expand your list and have a broader idea of what a good school is. The application process is a little bit of a crapshoot.
Click to expand...

I know that. Of course I will try to like whichever school I get into. However, I haven't applied yet, so my net is pretty wide. I'm still at the point where I can do some idle dreaming about my favorite schools and I'm indulging a bit, with your words in the back of my mind, of course.
 
Silence in ER said:
I know that. Of course I will try to like whichever school I get into. However, I haven't applied yet, so my net is pretty wide. I'm still at the point where I can do some idle dreaming about my favorite schools and I'm indulging a bit, with your words in the back of my mind, of course.
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That's cool. Nothing wrong with dreaming a bit, check out a lot of schools. Some top ranked schools have blah campuses, some lower-ranked ones are spotless wonders. Best of luck
 
How do you have a favorite school? Favorite ice cream, ya. Sport, ok. Hobby, ok? But school? Wouldn't you have to try them all out first and see what they're really about? Furthermore, it's school. :nailbiting:
 
Yeah beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. That being said just take a look at all of them and see what catches your eye. Also, and I'm biased, look at UNECOM, I feel like everyone outside the Northeast dismisses them but it's a great program, very friendly student population, solid 3'rd year sites around new england, and coastal maine is gorgeous. Also only 2 hours out from Boston and 30-40 min from Portland which is an awesome city. I did see some complaints on here but realized that A) they were like 3-5 years old and B) you can find someone talking crap about ANY school if you look hard enough. In the end you have to find out for yourself.
 
How do you have a favorite school? Favorite ice cream, ya. Sport, ok. Hobby, ok? But school? Wouldn't you have to try them all out first and see what they're really about? Furthermore, it's school. :nailbiting:
Click to expand...
Just look at Nova and tell me you wouldn't kill to go there.
NSU%20HPD%20(1).jpg


heh. I got you there.
 
Silence in ER said:
Just look at Nova and tell me you wouldn't kill to go there.
NSU%20HPD%20(1).jpg


heh. I got you there.
Click to expand...
I agree you can't beat that: Nova has great rotation sites throughout South FL and the school is in a prime location. As a DO school, Nova can compete with any mid tier MD school.
 
I'll bite, RowanSOM! We are 2 hours away from AC, 15 mins from Philly, could make a day trip of NYC, and an hour away from the Poconos for snowboarding. Also the faculty actually listen to us about what we would like to see changed in our classes (within reason). Also the sense of community here is pretty awesome.
 
Goro said:
Mine, because they hired me!

And I love my students, too.
Click to expand...

I don't know if you should answer this, but what exactly is your role at whatever school you belong to? I imagined a PhD in research who is heavily involved in faculty...? Do you also carry a D.O. as well?
 
BestDoctorEver said:
I agree you can't beat that: Nova has great rotation sites throughout South FL and the school is in a prime location. As a DO school, Nova can compete with any mid tier MD school.
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I'm surprised NSU isn't more competitive to get into. They accepted lots of people with average stats this year. I'd expect them to be closer to CCOM or AZCOM in competitiveness.
 
user3 said:
I'm surprised NSU isn't more competitive to get into. They accepted lots of people with average stats this year. I'd expect them to be closer to CCOM or AZCOM in competitiveness.
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I am curious to see what the average mcat will be. It was 28 last year. I don't know if we can call that average for DO.
 
PhD....role is predominantly teaching, with some research (and not too shabby at that). research takes a back seat to teaching at nearly all the DO schools. I'd say TCOM is probably the powerhouse of the COMs.

AdCom member for > 10 years.

AHRATHORE12 said:
I don't know if you should answer this, but what exactly is your role at whatever school you belong to? I imagined a PhD in research who is heavily involved in faculty...? Do you also carry a D.O. as well?
Click to expand...
 
Nova is likely going to lose a lot of their rotation positions if and when Larkin opens their own medical school. The two will likely end up fighting a bit for rotation spots, and Nova will obviously lose all of their spots at Larkin, which they have relied on for key rotations throughout the years. Keep this in mind when applying.
 
Mad Jack said:
Nova is likely going to lose a lot of their rotation positions if and when Larkin opens their own medical school. The two will likely end up fighting a bit for rotation spots, and Nova will obviously lose all of their spots at Larkin, which they have relied on for key rotations throughout the years. Keep this in mind when applying.
Click to expand...
very interesting, i never knew about this
 
I personally really liked KCUMB & MUCOM. Both true campuses and felt right.
 
Mad Jack said:
Nova is likely going to lose a lot of their rotation positions if and when Larkin opens their own medical school. The two will likely end up fighting a bit for rotation spots, and Nova will obviously lose all of their spots at Larkin, which they have relied on for key rotations throughout the years. Keep this in mind when applying.
Click to expand...

It isn't clear what effect Larkin's proposed COM will have on the distribution of core rotation site positions. Nova doesn't send too many students to Larkin for core rotation assignment as it is and has many connections with other hospital systems in S. Florida. Larkin wants to have 100-150 students per class so we'll see how that goes. I think the school will be closer to Homestead, with plans to open a pharmacy, dental, and nursing school at that campus. They definitely have big plans... just hope they don't cause too big of a headache.
 
DMU!

I completely fell in love when at the interview day. It's the 2nd oldest school and has a great reputation. It has connections with all the best residency programs in the Midwest. Everyone on campus was extremely friendly and helpful. I love the city of des moines, it's big enough where there is plenty to do but not overwhelming. 3rd year is year long rotations so I won't have to pick up and move a million times. 4th year there is a lot of freedom to do audition rotations. The school is very LGBTQ friendly. And they accepted my goofy butt!
 
Seriously... a lot of the east coast you will get some form of humidity, but at least it will be for a shorter time. But Florida whew.... sizzling is good if you are a model, not a pasty backwoods white guy
 
I'd have to say AZCOM, OSU, RVUCOM, CCOM, and CUSOM. Why? Because these are the schools that accepted me. I chose AZCOM for a couple reasons. Good track record and reputation, good location for me, and a nice area with a beautiful campus.

When it comes to DO schools, I would look at whether or not they're established, then location, then cost. AZCOM checked two out of three of those boxes, but cost to attend doesn't bother me since I was awarded an Air Force scholarship so they're paying the bills.
 
dallasdaines said:
I'd have to say AZCOM, OSU, RVUCOM, CCOM, and CUSOM. Why? Because these are the schools that accepted me. I chose AZCOM for a couple reasons. Good track record and reputation, good location for me, and a nice area with a beautiful campus.

When it comes to DO schools, I would look at whether or not they're established, then location, then cost. AZCOM checked two out of three of those boxes, but cost to attend doesn't bother me since I was awarded an Air Force scholarship so they're paying the bills.
Click to expand...

Is there a reason why you chose AZCOM over CCOM?
 
hybridomas89 said:
Is there a reason why you chose AZCOM over CCOM?
Click to expand...
Seriously was in the middle of typing that... like you get a full ride and you dont pick arguably the #1 school... the one that people would kill to go to except for that darn price tag. Its certainly a deterrent for me.

Or even OSU. I havent heard like a single bad thing about OSU
 
hybridomas89 said:
Is there a reason why you chose AZCOM over CCOM?
Click to expand...

The two schools were very similar. CCOM was my second interview and I loved the school but didn't love Chicago. I come from a smaller city and will be bringing a family along with me for medical school. It's expensive to live in Chicago as well. When I scheduled my interview at AZCOM I was hoping it would be everything that CCOM was but in a better location. That's exactly what it ended up being, for me at least. Long story short, I can see my family being a lot happier in Arizona than Chicago, and since AZCOM = CCOM in my opinion, it was the best choice.
 
Silence in ER said:
my wish list for a school (if I could have anything):
1. a little bit rural, with a city in driving distance, and warm climate if I can get it
2. close knit, supportive community ( I am coming from a top 5 school where every class was crazy difficult and it was vary hard to feel like one belonged orhad anyone supporting them). This is my dealbreaker.
3. excellent clinical training. as of now, (things will probably change), i really like er medicine, I want to have the training to diagnose any clinical issue that comes my way without having to order MRI's for everything
4. research available, if one wants to do it. I know most do schools are not research driven institutions, so it's not a dealbreaker for me.
5. summer programs that allow medical students to work abroad. I am a first gen immigrants ( citizen though), so this is really important to me.
6. trauma 1 hospital (see desire to be an er doc above)
7.bevy of extracurricular activities
8. less stress. Now before you tell me medicine is stress, wait. I get it, I know medicine is all about stress and you can't get away from it. But in undergrad I had constant stress/anxiety over exams,tests so much so that I developed nervous tics. I don't want to be stabbing other medical students in the back for residencies. I don't want teachers to be weeding me in out in order out make me fail. I don't want to go to a school where each lecture class is 200 people and never ever gets smaller. I just couldn't do that again. I hated it.
Click to expand...

COMP-NW.

Only if you can handle all the unconditional love and support and delicious beer the Pacific NW has to offer. Also, brunches and local produce and nature.
 
dallasdaines said:
The two schools were very similar. CCOM was my second interview and I loved the school but didn't love Chicago. I come from a smaller city and will be bringing a family along with me for medical school. It's expensive to live in Chicago as well. When I scheduled my interview at AZCOM I was hoping it would be everything that CCOM was but in a better location. That's exactly what it ended up being, for me at least. Long story short, I can see my family being a lot happier in Arizona than Chicago, and since AZCOM = CCOM in my opinion, it was the best choice.
Click to expand...
Gotcha, thats totally valid. You should check out threads from Orthojoe, think he went to AZCOM. Had a couple kids through med school and got an ortho residency. Pretty solid dude.
 
Awesome Sauceome said:
Gotcha, thats totally valid. You should check out threads from Orthojoe, think he went to AZCOM. Had a couple kids through med school and got an ortho residency. Pretty solid dude.
Click to expand...

I'll look him up. Thanks. That reminds me of another thing I liked about AZCOM/CCOM. They don't push primary care nearly as much as some of the other DO schools. Their match lists also show a relatively higher percentage of students landing specialties. I don't necessarily want to specialize, but I don't want to be ear marked for primary care either.
 
dallasdaines said:
I'll look him up. Thanks. That reminds me of another thing I liked about AZCOM/CCOM. They don't push primary care nearly as much as some of the other DO schools. Their match lists also show a relatively higher percentage of students landing specialties. I don't necessarily want to specialize, but I don't want to be ear marked for primary care either.
Click to expand...

How are the rotations at AZCOM?
 
Mad Jack said:
Nova is likely going to lose a lot of their rotation positions if and when Larkin opens their own medical school. The two will likely end up fighting a bit for rotation spots, and Nova will obviously lose all of their spots at Larkin, which they have relied on for key rotations throughout the years. Keep this in mind when applying.
Click to expand...
Larkin is just one of MANY hospitals Nova has set up for core rotations, several of which are massive health systems like Broward, Mt. Sinai and Jackson Memorial. NSUCOM has been around since 1979, if anything it's Larkin that's going to struggle to get rotation sites that aren't taken by Nova already - not the other way around. I don't even think it's immediately clear that Nova students will no longer be able to rotate at Larkin. Either way, Nova students aren't going to have any issues with core clinical rotations just because of Larkin.
 
Mad Jack said:
Nova is likely going to lose a lot of their rotation positions if and when Larkin opens their own medical school. The two will likely end up fighting a bit for rotation spots, and Nova will obviously lose all of their spots at Larkin, which they have relied on for key rotations throughout the years. Keep this in mind when applying.
Click to expand...

This is an exaggeration. Larkin is only one out of 28 sites for rotations at Nova. I highly doubt that Nova sends a lot of students to Larkin in the first place as it is a community hospital.
 
Awesome Sauceome said:
Seriously... a lot of the east coast you will get some form of humidity, but at least it will be for a shorter time. But Florida whew.... sizzling is good if you are a model, not a pasty backwoods white guy
Click to expand...
Lol... Humidity is certainly an issue if FL, but I was shocked to see it's even worst in AZ...
 
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