Creighton (Omaha) vs WMed?

[ivyyuh]

Hey everyone! After a long cycle with 3 WLs, I just received 3As and have narrowed it down to the following schools! I’m beyond happy with attending either of them, so I’d love to hear some thoughts, since they have similar tuition! I’m currently thinking of going into critical care if this makes a difference!

Creighton
Pros
-More established/reputable
-Strong Match List
-More home residency programs
-Interview day was awesome! Faculty and students were so welcoming and created such great environment

Cons
-6 hours away from home
-Grading system H/P/F
-In a larger city (not sure how i feel about that)
-Slightly larger class size (120)

WMed
Pros
-Smaller class size (84)
-Decompressed Curriculum
-Only 2.5 hours away
-Team-based learning

Cons
-Newer school
-Less research opportunities
-A bit more remote

Any opinions would be helpful

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[octopusbee]

Hi! First of all, congratulations on your acceptances - this is always super exciting news!!

I'm a current M1 at WMed and while I cannot comment on Creighton's program, I thought I could chime in with my thoughts on WMed!

I'm glad you are highlighting some of the wonderful things WMed has to offer in your pros list and want to give some further insight into your potential cons about the school. While we are a newer school, I find it has afforded more opportunities to find your niche, both inside and outside of academics, with lots of support from the school. All of the faculty are very dedicated to your success in medicine, regardless of your specific goals, so not only is it easy to find help when you need it, but if you have an idea or an interest that you want to pursue, someone is always willing to help you learn more and get involved. Especially when it comes to giving feedback to the school, I always feel like someone is listening and values my input. While implementing changes on an administrative level will always feel slower and more gradual than expected, I strongly feel that feedback and change are welcomed at WMed.

I'll agree with you that WMed does not have the most extensive pool of research opportunities. However, most, if not all, of my classmates (including myself) who are interested in doing research have found opportunities and are involved in one or more projects, so there are definitely more opportunities than meets the eye. Many faculty are also open to students with ideas for a research project, so even if WMed doesn't have the exact project you're looking for, you can always create one. If you are interested in doing research, it exists here!

As for location, I'm sure it is all relative to where you are from and how close to home you ideally would like to be, but I think Kalamazoo is a great location to live in and relatively easy to travel from. If you are ever looking for a big city or need to travel out of one, Kalamazoo is less than an hour from Grand Rapids and about 2.5 hours in either direction from Chicago or Detroit. If you are looking to enjoy some of Michigan's nature, it is just about an hour from South Haven's beaches and a couple hours from some great state parks with dunes to hike up, among other things! We are also close to a couple of popular ski resorts if you're into winter sports! Aside from what's around here, our decompressed curriculum gives you a week of vacation every 5-6 weeks, allowing you to visit home, travel, explore Michigan, or take an elective (some are remote, so you can still travel!).

I hope this was helpful and feel free to ask more questions if you have any!