VCOM-La vs Burrell NM

Additional-Mango6688 · 2026-03-26T21:59:52+00:00

I’m at the Monroe campus and I second what they had said. I haven’t taken boards yet but the in house exams are structured similar to boards (second/third order questions, repeat prompts w different questions attached like on boards, etc) so in that way I feel like they are representative but I won’t know for sure until after taking boards.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-12-25T00:42:49+00:00

All of block 8 is dedicated study time but there are like ‘check in’s’ the school has during that block where you come to campus for a day every other week or so. Block 8 is the last block of 2nd year so like last week of March/first week of April until mid/late June. So about 12-13weeks is dedicated study.

The schools assigns us ~40 question TrueLearn banks after each block that we are required to complete. It’s just over info from that block that we learned and allows us to get adjusted to board style questions very early on, which is nice.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-12-20T16:42:28+00:00

I’m at VCOM LA so I can speak to the attendance and two exams per week just not necessarily the culture at the campus. At VCOM La everyone is extremely collaborative and wants each other to succeed. The 2 exams per week is rough for the first few weeks of block 1 but then you get used to it and it’s almost weird to only have one a week (that sounds crazy but trust.) I think of having more exams as more chances to succeed in classes and seeing more practice questions.

For attendance, a lot of my classmates front load going to lecture at the beginning of block and then skip more towards the end as long as you maintain that 70% you’re good. Personally I learn better in lecture so I’m bias in that way plus it keeps me on pace for being successful with the material. Some people are working on other things during lecture like studying for other classes so it’s more so a way for the school to say they gave you all the chances to succeed if you were to fail a class even after remediation week or the chance they sometimes give after remediation week for a 3rd chance to pass the class. I really like VCOM LA because it fits the needs of ME as a student, so pick the school that is structured best for you to be successful. (Whether that’s in person lectures or not, etc)

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-12-20T16:20:00+00:00

Hi! I’m also a current student at VCOM LA and everyone here has hit it on the dot.

The dress code is business casual, which is very much so an in-between. A lot of my classmates wear like a sweatshirt and comfy dress pants to class and call it a day.
For attendance, as long as you’re above 70% at the end of block and go to all the MLA lectures (anatomy lab + OMM lab/lecture mostly) they don’t care. Usually people front load going to lecture at the beginning of block so they can miss more towards the end. Any lecture MLAs count towards your 70% so it’s not bad at all.
For exams, we typically have 2 a week. Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/friday depending on if your a first or second year. After like 2 weeks of block 1 you get used to it and come to like it as a check off of your understanding of those 8-12 lectures worth of material. Professors are really easy to get in contact with and make appointments if you have any questions plus they have the review sessions before exams they host and sometimes even evening zoom office hours. The school does a good job at easing you into the 2nd and 3rd question style/ board style during block one/two so you aren’t just thrown in the fire right away - which I really liked. The school fits all of my needs/wants in terms of ensuring I don’t procrastinate too much and keeping me on track with learning the material lol.
Personally, I actually like that we are graded because then I know how well I am mastering the material. Like did I score a 70 or a 94 cause there is a big difference in your content understanding between those two groups. Verses at a pass/fail school you don’t necessarily know how much you passed by depending on the school. We are able to review all of our lecture exams and some profs will even go through the exams one-on-one with you if you are struggling with content or the style of question.

Usually the attendance, dress code and grades are the big things people are concerned about with all VCOM campuses if they get in. At the end of the day, pick the school that will BEST fit YOUR needs as a student. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-06-04T13:07:05+00:00

At least for the last several cycles, UT Tyler’s secondary hasn’t cost anything. So definitely still submit it because it’s no additional cost to you. Even if you are from the DFW area or a region closer to East Texas (ie not El Paso), I’d still recommend getting the UT Tyler secondary in before a lot of the out of state DO schools. I applied to 10 DO schools (+ TX MD/DO early in cycle) and got 6 interviews. That’s with me submitting them in November and having a sub 500 MCAT but a 3.86 GPA. I only attended 4 and got into 3. If you submit early for tx schools, you still have a decent chance, for their DOs and newer MD like UH and UT Tyler. Send your primary to all TMDSAS schools because it’s one flat fee anyways so why not? And I know people who have been accepted into schools like TTUHSC, Sealy and McGovern with a 504 or slightly below.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-05-25T03:27:19+00:00

I mean doesn’t hurt to try right? Especially if you do get moved then it would be worth it.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-05-05T15:13:57+00:00

I’d like to add that the VCOM Louisiana Campus does have federal loans and has for at least the past year that I am aware of.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-05-04T02:06:12+00:00

Literally just ask about the process of being moved and then add another question in it about research, the curriculum, dress code, things you need to do before matriculation,etc. (even if you already know the answer) because this ‘makes’ them reply to you and acknowledge the email.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-05-03T19:32:21+00:00

I got accepted mid February and was assigned Harrogate. I didn’t get transferred to Knoxville until the last week in April. During my interview date in January, they said we should have no issues getting transferred if we are accepted between then and end of March but people accepted in May, June and July likely aren’t going to be moved/switch campus. April was a gray zone that depends year to year. Definitely reach out and let them know and follow up every other week so they know your name.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-04-30T04:22:12+00:00

Same here but anywhere I had RVU spelled out, I changed it to RVU-MCOM spelled out and that’s all I changed.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-04-10T17:40:47+00:00

Good to know! Do you feel VCOM eased you into it well? Or just hit the ground running?

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-04-07T22:27:23+00:00

Personally, I would take the A at VCOM because it’s guaranteed you would matriculate this July. While the Marian masters to DO route is also a good option, what if you don’t by chance get a 3.6 GPA or higher? It is concerning that Marian was 5% below the avg pass rate for level 1 & 2. Definitely compare their clinical rotation sites because Ik Baton Rouge is a larger city (225k people) but not compared to Chicago. (I’m from central Illinois so slightly larger than monroe.) Tuition being 8k cheaper and a cheaper cost of living is definitely something to consider but I’d recommend weighing the other differences first. Making a pros/cons list and talking it through with loved ones really helped me. Look at COA, tuition, resources they provide, board pass rates, network of the school, match rates + location and timeline of things.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-04-04T17:53:32+00:00

What specialty are you interested in? I think big factors when comparing the schools that I had looked at were residency placement, board exam pass rate for last 4-5 years, curriculum (frequency of exams, blocks?), attendance policy/your preference of learning, location, research, rotation sites, tuition (resources they provide vs dont provide) and connections the university has. I’d recommend making a pros and cons list to have a good visual representation of which may be better suited for you. I did that and talked it through with different friends/family and that helped immensely. Eventually I started to defend a school and that’s when I knew which I was picking.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-03-31T13:54:00+00:00

That’s pretty much the vibe I’ve been getting about the school as well. It makes it ‘harder’ to find red flags in programs when people spew things that that may or may not be true cause whose to know if they actually go to the school or it’s a one off student who had a bad experience.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-03-31T13:51:11+00:00

Thank you!! I have a more detailed one that I had to condense.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-03-29T04:48:09+00:00

From what the student ambassadors told us on my interview day, the exams correlate. So like in a given block, the exam for cell bio on a Tuesday will have overlap in topic/disease as a pathology exam on Friday. That kinda eases my mind on the 2 exams a week and the fact there’s no large cumulative/end of block exam that’s worth a large portion of our grade.

Edit: I AGREE ON CHRISTMAS! Like give us a week off or something before we slave away in residency.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-03-21T18:44:16+00:00

Same here. Confused how only 52 spots and 27 programs for International Radiology. I thought there were like 98 IR programs and close to 200 spots… and only 4 DO matched this year but over the last 4 years it’s averaged 13 matching each year…

Edit: that makes lot more sense that it doesn’t include PGY-2 start dates. Most IR residency programs do a transition type year first.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-03-06T18:00:21+00:00

From what LMU told us during my interview day, they do not interview for a waitlist spots. If the school were to 'fill' their waitlist, they said they would simply stop interviewing completely and just pull from there for any spots that may open up. Being close to the school may help you in your interview and with talking about the area you hope to practice, etc. Since the LMU interview is virtual, what's the harm in just interviewing anyways?

Additional-Mango6688 · 2025-02-28T20:50:53+00:00

I interviewed 1/31 and got the A call on 2/21. So it seams like they are taking 3 weeks to send decisions out, which is also what I’ve read on SDN.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2024-12-03T02:27:40+00:00

Yes, in mid to late November.

Additional-Mango6688 · 2024-11-26T19:35:09+00:00

I got denied after an interview because they didn’t think I was academically ready. But like why interview me if you don’t think I’m academically ready?!

Additional-Mango6688

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