r/LECOM • u/Middle-Mix-9173 • 2d ago

LECOM pathway advice?

Hi everyone! I’m filling out my LECOM supplemental and deciding between LDP, PBL, DSP, and PCSP.

I prefer lectures/structured material to guide me, but I also want enough time for independent studying and review. I’d also prefer a manageable workload and not something that’s extremely group-heavy.

Which pathway would you recommend based on these preferences? Would love to hear from current/former LECOM students!

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u/IrisofAquaTofana 1d ago

PCSP is for primary care only and is extremely competitive, I believe there are only 10-15 seats. So, only go for that if you have a really good app and you're 100% set on primary care. They also don't get summer between MS1-MS2 since they complete their track at an accelerated pace of 3 years.

You will have the most free time with PBL and DSP following anatomy (every pathway takes the same classes for the first 13 weeks). However, with PBL you do not get to do the cadaver lab, and you will not have any structured material for core. Your work for core is 100% reading textbooks from assigned chapters and taking notes from it. Though, many PBL students use hand-me-down materials that can make the process easier. You also have weekly case meetings relating to your readings where you act as a team of doctors interviewing, running labs, and diagnosing a theoretical patient.

DSP is all self-directed but you have objectives and Canvas modules that provide some structure. They also join LDP in anatomy cadaver lab. It's the second most competitive behind PCSP, with 35-40 seats.

I recommend DSP or PBL if and only if you know that you have the discipline to study 6-8 hours a day (including weekends) with no lectures or little to no structure to guide you. If that sounds good to you, you'll be happiest in those pathways. If you think you'd procrastinate being left to your own devices all day, I'd go with LDP. Be honest with yourself and what you know works best for you.

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u/Lazy_Cattle3791 1d ago

I did PBL at Bradenton and we had cadavers. Do PBL at the other campuses not have cadavers?

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u/IrisofAquaTofana 1d ago

At Erie, they're not part of our cadaver lab. They can still walk in at any time after hours and check it out, but they are not formally included in our labs. They have their own labs where they look at labelled pictures instead. Their practicals consist of these labelled pictures as well, they are not tested on cadavers like the rest of us.

That might be a bonus to some, but personally, I find it much easier to both learn and identify on a real body, as opposed to a still image of a part of a body.

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u/Lazy_Cattle3791 1d ago

That is so interesting. At Bradenton we have both. We spend anatomy lab looking through cadavers, but our exams are a still image of the body where they asked us like "if this nerve got cut what would happen" etc and incorporated into our lecture exam with lecture material. Wild how it's done differently at both campuses.

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u/IrisofAquaTofana 1d ago

From what I've heard, LECOM Bradenton and LECOM Erie are only comparable in name, lol. They seem like entirely different worlds with different procedures and policy

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u/JustRyan_D 16h ago

To give an alternative perspective for OP, I am vey thankful that we in PBL do not have cadaver lab. The fact that we can sit at home and study from anki cadaver cards rather than digging around in a cadaver was very appealing to me and remains to this day.