VCU vs. GWU vs. OUWB

[AAAmeds]

Hi everyone,

I am fortunate enough and thankful to have some options here.

Some background on me: Canadian (don't qualify for scholarships except maybe at OUWB), have lived in big cities all my life and would prefer to continue to do so, and completely unsure of what specialty I want to do (keeping an open mind). Unfortunately was not able to attend any of the second looks.

Similarities between all three schools: all mid-tier, and roughly equally far away from family.

VCU:

+ Richmond is a fairly nice city to live in
+ Quite a bit less expensive than DC for living
+ Lowest tuition out of all three (not by too much tho, ~5k per year)
+ Got a great vibe on interview day
+ 8-week prep time for Step 1
+ P/F grading and optional attendance
+/- Condensed pre-clinical curriculum (1.5 years)
-? Lower rank (~80th; not sure if it's relevant tho)
- Not affiliated with any super strong hospitals
​

GWU:

++ Washington DC is an excellent city to live in
+ Highest ranked out of all three (59th)
+ Being in DC, lots of opportunities to do cool projects and make connections
+ Track programs (not sure if I want to do it tho)
+ 8-week prep time for Step 1
+ Optional attendance
+/- Condensed pre-clinical curriculum (1.5 years)
-- Most expensive out of all three (both tuition and living expenses wise)
- Didn't get a good vibe on my interview day/current students didn't look super happy
- H/P/F grading (not sure how honors works tho)
- Not affiliated with any super strong hospitals
​

OUWB:

++ The only school out of three where I am technically eligible for scholarships (will know if I'm gonna get any after May tho)
+ Beaumont hospital is big & very well established
+ Interview day was great. Students and staff were super happy and nice
+ Being a new school, they have very impressive tools and resources and use cool technology
-? Unranked by USNews
+/- 2-year pre-clinical curriculum
+/- The weather is colder than Richmond and DC (I'm used to cold weather tho)
+/- Tuition and COA more expensive than VCU but cheaper than GWU
--- Don't like living in Auburn Hills at all (I am a big city kid)
- H/P/F grading (90%+ and 70% attendance for honors)
- Only 5 weeks of prep for Step 1
- Mandatory attendance to get honors (probably not a big con for me as I like attending lectures)
- New(er) school so maybe not as established
- Have lots of new school type add-ons (PRISM, mandatory research, mandatory community involvement, etc); not sure if I have time for all of them
​

Thank you so much for reading this (very) long post. Looking forward to seeing your votes and comments. If you vote, I would appreciate if you could please write one short sentence explaining why you voted for that school so that I get a better understanding.

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[docE15]

Hi everyone,

I am fortunate enough and thankful to have some options here.

Some background on me: Canadian (don't qualify for scholarships except maybe at OUWB), have lived in big cities all my life and would prefer to continue to do so, and completely unsure of what specialty I want to do (keeping an open mind). Unfortunately was not able to attend any of the second looks.

Similarities between all three schools: all mid-tier, and roughly equally far away from family.

VCU:

+ Richmond is a fairly nice city to live in
+ Quite a bit less expensive than DC for living
+ Lowest tuition out of all three (not by too much tho, ~5k per year)
+ Got a great vibe on interview day
+ 8-week prep time for Step 1
+ P/F grading and optional attendance
+/- Condensed pre-clinical curriculum (1.5 years)
-? Lower rank (~80th; not sure if it's relevant tho)
- Not affiliated with any super strong hospitals
​

GWU:

++ Washington DC is an excellent city to live in
+ Highest ranked out of all three (59th)
+ Being in DC, lots of opportunities to do cool projects and make connections
+ Track programs (not sure if I want to do it tho)
+ 8-week prep time for Step 1
+ Optional attendance
+/- Condensed pre-clinical curriculum (1.5 years)
-- Most expensive out of all three (both tuition and living expenses wise)
- Didn't get a good vibe on my interview day/current students didn't look super happy
- H/P/F grading (not sure how honors works tho)
- Not affiliated with any super strong hospitals
​

OUWB:

++ The only school out of three where I am technically eligible for scholarships (will know if I'm gonna get any after May tho)
+ Beaumont hospital is big & very well established
+ Interview day was great. Students and staff were super happy and nice
+ Being a new school, they have very impressive tools and resources and use cool technology
-? Unranked by USNews
+/- 2-year pre-clinical curriculum
+/- The weather is colder than Richmond and DC (I'm used to cold weather tho)
+/- Tuition and COA more expensive than VCU but cheaper than GWU
--- Don't like living in Auburn Hills at all (I am a big city kid)
- H/P/F grading (90%+ and 70% attendance for honors)
- Only 4 weeks of prep for Step 1
- Mandatory attendance to get honors (probably not a big con for me as I like attending lectures)
- New(er) school so maybe not as established
- Have lots of new school type add-ons (PRISM, mandatory research, mandatory community involvement, etc); not sure if I have time for all of them
​

Thank you so much for reading this (very) long post. Looking forward to seeing your votes and comments. If you vote, I would appreciate if you could please write one short sentence explaining why you voted for that school so that I get a better understanding.

OUWB gives about 6 weeks of dedicated Step 1 study time, if that makes any difference to you. Also, many OUWB students I've spoken to consistently say that all the mandatory attendance and "add-ons" are for the purpose of fostering a close-knit class that values community. They also said that if this value does not appeal to you or if you believe it will be a waste of time, then OUWB is not for you.


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[AAAmeds]

OUWB gives about 6 weeks of dedicated Step 1 study time, if that makes any difference to you. Also, many OUWB students I've spoken to consistently say that all the mandatory attendance and "add-ons" are for the purpose of fostering a close-knit class that values community. They also said that if this value does not appeal to you or if you believe it will be a waste of time, then OUWB is not for you.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

According to the official calendar it actually gives 5 weeks of study time, but that does not really make a difference. Good point about the add-ons tho. I definitely value them but as long as they do not interfere with my studying habits and eventually my grades.

 

[migvsu]

OUWB. My BF is a student and loves it. He has made a lot of close friends and really likes his instructors. Plus Beaumont is a great hospital for rotations.

 

[born2run]

Based on your list, I'd say VCU, but OUWB also seems like a good choice. Congrats on the great options!


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[AAAmeds]

The main dilemma that I have is I prefer VCU or GWU over OUWB but OUWB is the only school where I have a chance of receiving scholarships!! Does anyone know how often OUWB gives scholarships to Canadians?

 

[redsox93]

If you received nothing in scholarships from OUWB how much would the difference be between there and VCU? I'm leaning towards VCU just because you're not guaranteed a scholarship and VCU would be the cheapest option as well as the best environment for what you're looking for. I'm assuming you won't hear back from OUWB before the multiple acceptance deadline?

 

[Lawpy]

VCU. Fewest cons of the three. Rank differences among the schools are not significant.

 

[AAAmeds]

If you received nothing in scholarships from OUWB how much would the difference be between there and VCU? I'm leaning towards VCU just because you're not guaranteed a scholarship and VCU would be the cheapest option as well as the best environment for what you're looking for. I'm assuming you won't hear back from OUWB before the multiple acceptance deadline?

If I don't receive anything from OUWB, then I'm pretty sure that I want to go to VCU just because of the location of OUWB in addition to the longer history of VCU (and GWU). But a big scholarship can change my mind
And yes they're out of money for now, so the next batch of scholarships is going out in May, unfortunately.

 

[AAAmeds]

VCU. Fewest cons of the three. Rank differences among the schools are not significant.

Thanks. I'm just afraid that my lack of cons for az VCU Might be down to my insufficient knowledge about the school. Does anyone know if I'm missing something here?

 

[AAAmeds]

Bump
There are quite a few votes for GWU. Can somebody shed some light on why they voted for GWU over the other two options. Thanks