I was accepted to MCG back in December but just got pulled off the WL at EVMS yesterday, so I have to make a decision by next Wednesday.
The most important thing for me to consider is that I have a partner and a child who will be starting Kindergarten this fall.
MCG:
Pros:
- GA resident, so cheaper IS tuition
- We have lived in Augusta before, so we know we like it there
- My kiddo has her doctors there already (she has ADD and is mildly autistic but very functional and we anticipate her doing well with minimal support in public school)
- MCG has a lot of home residency programs (I am currently interested in some form of surgery, but am feeling very open-minded)
- MCG seems to have a good reputation in the south, and it has a fine match list
- refund for living expenses (important since I have a family and I won’t be working) will come out to ~15k/semester. I know we can live quite comfortably in Augusta this way.
- 3 year curriculum now, so 4th year can be used for research
Cons:
- a lot of mandatory stuff will require me to be on campus pretty much every day
- weekly quizzes
- as far as I can tell, exams are not NBME style
- pretty huge class size but I honestly don’t care all that much about this
- lower ranked school, less national recognition than EVMS
EVMS:
Pros:
- I believe it is a better program all around
- very early clinical exposure
- NBME style exams
- lecturers are not mandatory (not a whole lot of mandatory activities)
- I really like Norfolk, and my partner and daughter would absolutely love living by the beach
- slightly smaller class size
- better reputation
- a good bit of students with families here, so I hear
- nice match list
- 18 month pre- clinical, 3 months dedicated for step
Cons:
- fewer home residency programs, but still has general surgery
- much higher COA as an OOS student
- only ~11k refund/semester despite the fact we will need to spend more on living expenses here
- will need to find a new school/doctor situation for my daughter (but I am not worried about finding a good pediatrician, and it seems like there are several good public elementary schools in the area
Summary: I think my family overall will be happier in Norfolk, and I think I would probably like EVMS more. Finances are a big consideration for us, and I am less worried about my future ability to pay off loans than the resources I will have allocated for us on a per semester basis right now.
Note: my partner will be earning roughly equally in Norfolk compared to Augusta
The most important thing for me to consider is that I have a partner and a child who will be starting Kindergarten this fall.
MCG:
Pros:
- GA resident, so cheaper IS tuition
- We have lived in Augusta before, so we know we like it there
- My kiddo has her doctors there already (she has ADD and is mildly autistic but very functional and we anticipate her doing well with minimal support in public school)
- MCG has a lot of home residency programs (I am currently interested in some form of surgery, but am feeling very open-minded)
- MCG seems to have a good reputation in the south, and it has a fine match list
- refund for living expenses (important since I have a family and I won’t be working) will come out to ~15k/semester. I know we can live quite comfortably in Augusta this way.
- 3 year curriculum now, so 4th year can be used for research
Cons:
- a lot of mandatory stuff will require me to be on campus pretty much every day
- weekly quizzes
- as far as I can tell, exams are not NBME style
- pretty huge class size but I honestly don’t care all that much about this
- lower ranked school, less national recognition than EVMS
EVMS:
Pros:
- I believe it is a better program all around
- very early clinical exposure
- NBME style exams
- lecturers are not mandatory (not a whole lot of mandatory activities)
- I really like Norfolk, and my partner and daughter would absolutely love living by the beach
- slightly smaller class size
- better reputation
- a good bit of students with families here, so I hear
- nice match list
- 18 month pre- clinical, 3 months dedicated for step
Cons:
- fewer home residency programs, but still has general surgery
- much higher COA as an OOS student
- only ~11k refund/semester despite the fact we will need to spend more on living expenses here
- will need to find a new school/doctor situation for my daughter (but I am not worried about finding a good pediatrician, and it seems like there are several good public elementary schools in the area
Summary: I think my family overall will be happier in Norfolk, and I think I would probably like EVMS more. Finances are a big consideration for us, and I am less worried about my future ability to pay off loans than the resources I will have allocated for us on a per semester basis right now.
Note: my partner will be earning roughly equally in Norfolk compared to Augusta
