LECOM-Erie or TOURO-NY???

[beastiemaa]

I recently have been accepted into both LECOM and TOURO-NY. As of now these are the only medical schools I am considering and am having a real tough decision between the two. Below is a list of pros and cons that I have developed.

LECOM: Pros - 1. Well established (opened in early 90s). 2. Solid match list (55%-primary care and 45%-other specialties) 3. Plays a huge part in the community 4. secluded (easy to study) 5. Great faculty 6. Cheapest medical school in the country

Cons - 1. Not much to do in the town 2. I live in New Jersey and the only flight that goes directly there in from Phili-semi-inconvenient

TOURO-NY: Pros-1. It is in New York City 2. My family lives in central Jersey, and I went to undergrad in NYC. All my best friends will still be there 3. Good rotation experience with hospitals in NYC 4. Pretty much suits my lifestyle

Cons - 1. New and not well-established 2. During the interview the dean was really pushing the whole idea of family medicine (not that this is bad but a lot of us want to enter more specialized fields) 3. Will not see any sort of residency match

I have never seen a ranking system for DO schools, but there are not many of them. From what I've seen they all seem to be the same. I could be wrong however. Please give me any insight you might have on this decision. Thanks.

[presqueisle]

I have to respectfully disagree with you that there's nothing to do in Erie. You are minutes away from 7 miles of beach at Presque Isle State Park. The park gets 4 million visitors a year. If you ski, you are about 30 minutes away from Peek n' Peak Resort. If you like the arts there is a thriving theater community with the Erie Playhouse, All An Act Theatre, Director's Circle Theater, Stage Right Community Theatre, Roadhouse Theater, United We Stand Theater Troupe and Erie Opera Theatre. The eleven art galleries in Erie hold a Gallery Night once a month with free admission and shuttle buses. Like dance? There is the Lake Erie Ballet, the Erie Civic Ballet, and Mercyhurst College put on a number of performances. Like sports? We have Erie SeaWolves baseball, Erie RiverRats indoor football, Erie BayHawks basketball and the Erie Otters hockey. Other attractions are the Erie Maritime Museum, Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Erie County Historical Museum, two planetariums, Presque Isle Downs and Casino if you like thoroughbred horse racing or gambling, 5 area wineries that grow their own grapes and produce their own wine, great hunting and fishing, and an outdoor festival from the Erie Arts Festival in late Spring to Celebrate Erie in the early Fall. The crime rate and the cost of living is low. It's a great place to live if you're coming here for school or staying for life.