Hi everyone! I could really use some guidance here. I already paid my deposit at WVSOM back in December but I was recently accepted to VCOM-VA and loved it there too. I am so torn! Please help.
Side note: I will be keeping an open mind about what field I want to go into until clinical rotations but as of now I'm interested in emergency medicine.
VCOM:
Pros:
-near VTECH, bigger town, more to do during the little free time we may have, more housing options
-beautiful anatomy lab
-medical missions part of curriculum
-lots of research opportunities with professors
-good comlex pass rates
-wide range of residency placements
-block curriculum with a whole week off after every block
-great overall vibe. Professors were amazing during interview.
-$7k cheaper than WVSOM
-later start date (August 7th)
Cons:
-Strict 80% mandatory attendance policy (less board prep time?)
-Class dress code (last thing I want to worry about is looking good when I'm stressed)
-Very test heavy curriculum (this might be a good thing though to reinforce material)
-Very small library
-the whole medical school is basically one building
WVSOM
Pros:
-Standalone campus. Everyone is just there to learn medicine so more of a tight knit group?
-No mandatory lecture or dress code policies
-Great facilities and a primary care clinic right on campus
-Great school for primary care
-Large library and beautiful new student center
-Amazing bookstore/school store.
Cons:
-very small town so less/more expensive housing options, less to do during little leisure time.
-lower comlex first time pass rates
-teach a very heavy primary care curriculum (will this hurt my chances if I decide to specialize?)
-high tuition for OOS
-clinical rotations mostly just WV (I'm from CT so I want to have the option to go out of state for rotations)
-There's only one small cafe on site that's open a few hours a day (I'm a coffee addict so this was a little disappointing for such a large campus).
-very early start date (July 24th)
Side note: I will be keeping an open mind about what field I want to go into until clinical rotations but as of now I'm interested in emergency medicine.
VCOM:
Pros:
-near VTECH, bigger town, more to do during the little free time we may have, more housing options
-beautiful anatomy lab
-medical missions part of curriculum
-lots of research opportunities with professors
-good comlex pass rates
-wide range of residency placements
-block curriculum with a whole week off after every block
-great overall vibe. Professors were amazing during interview.
-$7k cheaper than WVSOM
-later start date (August 7th)
Cons:
-Strict 80% mandatory attendance policy (less board prep time?)
-Class dress code (last thing I want to worry about is looking good when I'm stressed)
-Very test heavy curriculum (this might be a good thing though to reinforce material)
-Very small library
-the whole medical school is basically one building
WVSOM
Pros:
-Standalone campus. Everyone is just there to learn medicine so more of a tight knit group?
-No mandatory lecture or dress code policies
-Great facilities and a primary care clinic right on campus
-Great school for primary care
-Large library and beautiful new student center
-Amazing bookstore/school store.
Cons:
-very small town so less/more expensive housing options, less to do during little leisure time.
-lower comlex first time pass rates
-teach a very heavy primary care curriculum (will this hurt my chances if I decide to specialize?)
-high tuition for OOS
-clinical rotations mostly just WV (I'm from CT so I want to have the option to go out of state for rotations)
-There's only one small cafe on site that's open a few hours a day (I'm a coffee addict so this was a little disappointing for such a large campus).
-very early start date (July 24th)
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