funfriendlyfiller
Full Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2023
- Messages
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Hello everyone! I am torn on this decision and would very much appreciate any guidance/advice you all can offer.
CCOM
Pros
Cons
MSUCOM
Pros
Cons
Summary: I have two weeks to decide. I was halfway through the HPSP Application for the VA because I was unsure of how to justify the cost for CCOM; I am trying to make the least financially burdensome decision possible, but CCOM and MSUCOM seem to be tied in terms of prospects.
CCOM
Pros
- Close to family (I am an IL resident and will have two siblings within 30 minutes each from campus)
- Girlfriend (almost fiance) is also 30 minutes away and in her first year of dental school
- Precision Medicine research (I have multiple research projects as well as a master's degree in this field)
- Strong religious population/community (Muslim)
- Nice campus and I am familiar with the town/ location as I have lived in Illinois for the past 11 years
- I have connections across Chicago and rotations are all within Chicagoland
- I would ideally like to match into a competitive Internal Medicine Program, then Cardiology Fellowship within Chicago\
- Has the NIH research program I currently work with
- Good match list
Cons
- Tuition is insanely high (83k); when you add living expenses that's around 120k per year
- Graded ABCF and ranked
- Frequent Exams (like every week or two)
MSUCOM
Pros
- Cheaper (but not sure how much the tuition is exactly); I think it would be 44k for tuition and with all expenses around 70k yearly)
- Strong NIH research funding (I conduct research with the NIH currently through a specialized program)
- Bigger campus (I indicated East Lansing as 1 and Detroit as 2); I attended UIUC for undergrad so I imagine it would be a similar vibe
- Have siblings and aunts/uncles nearby
- Pass/Fail for preclinical; over 70% is a Pass (ranking is in tertiles)
- Good match list
Cons
- Not Chicago; not my hometown; everything would be new to me
- Multiple hours away from my girlfriend/ closer siblings
- Less connections in Michigan
- Rotations are spread out and not as concentrated (to the best of my knowledge
- Most students match and stay in Michigan
Summary: I have two weeks to decide. I was halfway through the HPSP Application for the VA because I was unsure of how to justify the cost for CCOM; I am trying to make the least financially burdensome decision possible, but CCOM and MSUCOM seem to be tied in terms of prospects.
