Hey everyone! I definitely am interested in internal medicine and it is the route I would take but I am torn if I should take this route or take the flexibility of VCU (to match into IM in preferably Florida where my support system is). I do not come from any money and I don’t have any one that is close to me in healthcare so I do not know how significant this opportunity with Geisinger is. I would really appreciate some insight/advice!
Geisinger (GCSOM)
Pros
- guaranteed residency spot in internal medicine at Geisinger
- 3 years
- full tuition plus stipend (it’s a loan repayment if I work for Geisinger for 3 years after residency)
Cons
- Weather (it’s always gloomy and cold)
- location is very lackluster and there was nothing to do
- If I choose another speciality, I loose the entire scholarship
- The residency program that I will have the spot for seems very uncompetitive and only has 1 md (from GCSOM) and everyone else is an IMG.
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCUSOM)
Pros
- Better ranked (match list was pretty impressive)
- More flexibility for future specialities
- Better weather (I really love being outside!)
- More research opportunities
- More things to do around the city
Cons
- no scholarships, will need to pay full cost to attend (~100k/year)
- 4 years instead of 3
- Also P/F as GCSOM but with internal rankings
Geisinger (GCSOM)
Pros
- guaranteed residency spot in internal medicine at Geisinger
- 3 years
- full tuition plus stipend (it’s a loan repayment if I work for Geisinger for 3 years after residency)
Cons
- Weather (it’s always gloomy and cold)
- location is very lackluster and there was nothing to do
- If I choose another speciality, I loose the entire scholarship
- The residency program that I will have the spot for seems very uncompetitive and only has 1 md (from GCSOM) and everyone else is an IMG.
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCUSOM)
Pros
- Better ranked (match list was pretty impressive)
- More flexibility for future specialities
- Better weather (I really love being outside!)
- More research opportunities
- More things to do around the city
Cons
- no scholarships, will need to pay full cost to attend (~100k/year)
- 4 years instead of 3
- Also P/F as GCSOM but with internal rankings