Ohio, IL, MI med schools

[medstu2006]

I live in MI and know more about the 3 med schools in MI. I know nothing much about the schools in Ohio and Illinois. Can someone please fill me in on which are the good schools in Ohio and IL, which are competitive and which are a little easier to get in?

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[Emergency!]

I live in MI and know more about the 3 med schools in MI. I know nothing much about the schools in Ohio and Illinois. Can someone please fill me in on which are the good schools in Ohio and IL, which are competitive and which are a little easier to get in?

Ohio - Six MD schools, one DO school. MD: Case Western Reserve, Medical University of Ohio, Wright State University, University of Cincinnati, Ohio State and Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. DO: Ohio Northern.

Case Western: Very good, very competitive, very expensive. Only private school in Ohio.

MUO: Great school, very friendly. A lot of focus on primary care, but lots of research opportunities. Big advantage in that its not part of a larger university. Very responsive to students needs and comments. Has their own USMLE testing center on campus.

WSU: Small class size (~90, although I heard they were increasing it a little). Very primary care oriented.

UC: Lots of research opportunities. Oldest EM residency program in the country. Currently undergoing tons of construction - will be great when its done. Ranked by US News.

NEOUCOM: Mostly for combined BS/MD students. They have ~30-40 seats open each year for non-BS/MD students to direct entry into the program. A consortium of Akron, Kent State, and Youngstown State. Just underwent a complete curriculum overhaul

Ohio State: Very strong school. Large class size. Lots of different research and clinical opportunities available. Two different pathways (Integrated and Independent Study). All the advantages and disadvantages of being part of the largest university in the US. Ranked by US News.

Ohio Northern: I know very little about it.

All of the state schools (which is all of them except for Case) give preference to Ohio Residents. 70-75% of their entering classes are residents. Out of state admission is highly competitive for all of them. I applied at all of the MD schools except Case and was accepted at all. Case and Ohio State are probably the most competitive. I won't rank them. I honestly liked all of them and think I could have been happy at any one of them. They all have their plusses and minuses.

Hope this helps

 

[finch]

Southern Illinois is almost impossible to get into from out of state, and getting into University of Illinois from out of state is hard (although not impossible)
Also, I dont know if you know this or not, but there are actually 4 med schools in MI: Wayne State, University of Michigan, and Michigan State actually has 2 med schools, 1 allopathic and 1 osteopathic

 

[iraqiamerican]

Also, I dont know if you know this or not, but there are actually 4 med schools in MI: Wayne State, University of Michigan, and Michigan State actually has 2 med schools, 1 allopathic and 1 osteopathic

this is not enough! We need one more med school here in Michigan!!

 

[finch]

this is not enough! We need one more med school here in Michigan!!

Yeah, I agree with you, but at least Wayne State Med is a good school and accepts a ton of students every year (and I hear they are making the class even bigger next year)

 

[Bap2qwrq7]

Impressions for some of the Ohio Schools:

MUO formerly MCO:
Probably slightly easier to get in, compared to OSU just based on numbers. The secondary isn't too bad, I think it asked for a time when you were culturally competent or something. Admission is based on a group committee vote. Takes about 3-4 weeks to find out either through phone or mail.
Located in Toledo, OH. Young school that is solid all around. Class size is above 100 (I think 130 or so, not sure). First two years are essentially lecture based with some small group work that occurs occassionally (this is what I can best remember). Everyone essentially attends lecture. Student body is very friendly and everyone I met there was very happy to be there. Classes are graded essentially though nobody seemed to complain about it. Grading according to the aamc website:

Required Basic Sciences 4 Intervals
Basic Sciences Electives 4 Intervals
Required Clinical Clerkships 4 Intervals
Elective Clinical Clerkships 4 Intervals


USMLE scores are consistently solid and they have a testing site right on campus which is great.

Don't know too much about clinicals at the school but I haven't heard any complaints. People say you get good experience early on.

Match list for the school is good. Mix of people entering all specialties, I think 7 matched into ortho either last year or the year before. Others matched at places such as Yale, Vandy, etc for various specialties.

There are a good number of research opportunities available.

Only drawback I could see is the city which is average overall. People give it a bad reputation but it seems like a typical midwest city, although they have a somewhat higher amount of crime, but not really in the University area.

The Ohio State Uni:
They have slightly higher averages for MCAT and GPA, but I don't think by that much. Secondary is pretty cheap but a pain in the ass, with two decent sized essay questions asked. All online and the password is a pain in the ass to memorize.
Huge undergraduate school and medical school. Class size is 210 although they offer two pathways Independent and the more traditional pathway.

Independent is basically study using given notes and suggested texts.
Pro: No waking up for classes at the crack of dawn. If you find lecture useless (like me), can spend time studying instead. If you want to do research etc, easier to manage because you can schedule that for the mornings.

Cons: Must email module leaders and set up appointments if you have questions. This takes some effort on your part. Easy to fall behind if not motivated.

Traditional Pathway is lecture based with some other stuff.
Pro:You get taught by pros who can clarify information and are available right away. Somewhat forces you to stay on a regimented study schedule.

Con: Waking up for class.

Some complaints I have heard from people online though, is that the classes tend to separate based on their pathways, which is understandable but this can be considered good and bad.

The grading system from the aamc website:

Required Basic Sciences 6 Intervals
Basic Sciences Electives 2 Intervals
Required Clinical Clerkships 2 Intervals
Elective Clinical Clerkships 2 Intervals

Don't know much about the third and fourth year about the school. Match list for the school is good with people matching into competitive places for all specialties.

The city itself is pretty nice from what I saw briefly.

Overall, both are great schools. OSU is a little more well known but MUO is much closer to Detroit so that might play a role in your decision. I'm writing this as it comes to my head so please forgive the rambling sentences and bad format.

 

[Emergency!]

Didn't even think about secondary land.

OSU: Secondary was a pain. The one questions was basically the same as what you would put in your personal statement. I really struggled with trying to make it sound different. I wanted to type in "Read my personal statement". EVERYTHING is via e-mail and online. (Even after you get accepted). Make sure that e-mail from them will not get filtered out as spam. Any time your status changes they will send you an e-mail.

MCO/MUO: Secondary wasn't bad, although it was the most expensive one (at $80). You download the secondary from the website and mail it in. There was also a form where you filled out your required coursework.

NEOUCOM: Pretty easy secondary. Mostly check boxes about criminal records, academic dishonesty, etc. They have a form to give to a recommender. That is the only LOR that they asked for. Download secondary and mail it in.

WSU: Online secondary. Very basic. Didn't ask for anything above what was already on your AMCAS. CHEAP! (only $25, I think). Downside: they don't update their status page very often. No essays.

UC: Online secondary. Kind of a pain, because you had to enter a ton of your classes. I'm not quite sure why they ask you to do this since its already on your AMCAS. No essays. Their status page is very nice and updated often, although I have heard that people have some funky things happen when they are updating (as in their status will change several times within an hour). Check status page often as they do NOT send you an e-mail when it changes. I actually found out about my interview and acceptance 1-2 weeks before I got notification in the mail.

MUO is probably easier to get into to than OSU. The associate dean of admissions at MUO said OSU is his biggest competitor for students (as in he loses more acceptees to OSU than other schools). Toledo is not a bad city (I grew up near Toledo). However, if you are used to a huge metropolitan area, you will think it is a dump. The area around MUO is a lot safer than the area around UC. UC is NOT in a very good area. Believe it or not, Toledo has a world class Art museum, zoo, symphony and ballet. They also have a great broadway touring program. The arts are there if you know where to find them. Also - its an easy drive to Cleveland.

Columbus is a nice city. The medical school itself is in a good area, however the ghetto is not far from the edge of main campus. Lots to do in Columbus, however traffic bites big time.

Wright State and NEOUCOM are kind of in their own little worlds. Lots of cheap housing. Wright State and NEOUCOM's competitiveness in getting in is based on the small number that they admit.

Again, you will find admissions HIGHLY competitive for out of state students. Look at the MSAR.

 

[jbrice1639]

Southern Illinois - Nearly impossible from out of state...or from the northeastern portion of the state (they're not a big fan of us "city folk")

University of Illinois - Tough from out of state, and somewhat tuition prohibitive for non-residents

Northwestern - Arguably the best school in Illinois (although that title could just as easily go to U of Chicago...probably both true for different reasons). No in-state preference here, but a very competitive school for anyone.

U of Chicago - See above. Again, no in-state preference, but still highly competitive for all applicants. Especially excellent for research.

Rush - Great hospital network, some rotations done at Cook County (the hospital ER is loosely based on...excellent exposure to crazy things there). Prefers in-state applicants, but is only 50% in-state as opposed to the 90%+ of state schools.

Loyola - Similar competitiveness to Rush I believe. Jesuit school. Large suburban hospital campus with Loyola Medical Center and a large VA hospital. No in-state preference, mid-tier competitiveness.

Chicago Med (Rosalind Franklin...whatever they're calling themselves these days) - Definitely the easiest to get into in Illinois (possibly in the country?) Rumors of impending bankruptcy have been denied by the college. They do not have a hospital on-site, but are affiliated with a broad network of hospitals.

Coming from out of state, Southern IL and U of IL are probably a waste of your time...all of the others are probably at least worth a shot.

 

[iraqiamerican]

Yeah, I agree with you, but at least Wayne State Med is a good school and accepts a ton of students every year (and I hear they are making the class even bigger next year)

Yes the class is around 200, but too bad they only accept 30 Wayne State undergrad Whats up with that? This is simply not right and unfair.

 

[Hallm_7]

Ohio - Six MD schools, one DO school. MD: Case Western Reserve, Medical University of Ohio, Wright State University, University of Cincinnati, Ohio State and Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. DO: Ohio Northern.


Ohio Northern: I know very little about it.

Isn't the DO school actually at Ohio University in Athens?

 

[superdevil]

Isn't the DO school actually at Ohio University in Athens?

yes.

i'd also like to add that the two ohio schools with the lowest average MCAT and GPA--wright state and neoucom--are incredibly protective of in-state residents. in some cases, it would actually be easier for an out-of-state applicant to get into osu/cincy/muo than wsu/neoucom. trust me.

 

[superdevil]

i just wanted to keep rambling for a bit. many people think of muo, neoucom, and wsu as "lower tier" schools. i understand why, but people need to realize that they are still excellent schools (particularly wsu and muo).

i just graduated from wright state in 2004. wsu has always emphasized primary care, but they're evolving rapidly. just while i was an undergrad, they added an MD/MPH program, an MD/MBA program, and an MD/PhD program. the name of the school will also be changing soon the the Boonshoft School of Medicine, as a local philanthropist just donated a TON of money to the school--WSUSOM gets new name. in fact, he's the one who donated the $$$ to start the MD/MBA program in the first place.

if anyone has any Q's about OH med schools, holla. i only applied to UC, WSU, OSU, and Case, but i also have some knowledge of the others. good luck!

 

[Emergency!]

Isn't the DO school actually at Ohio University in Athens?

Yep. My bad. I had Ohio Northern on the brain for some reason.

I would probably agree with superdevil on the WSU/NEOUCOM thing.

 

[Emergency!]

i just wanted to keep rambling for a bit. many people think of muo, neoucom, and wsu as "lower tier" schools. i understand why, but people need to realize that they are still excellent schools (particularly wsu and muo).

Right on, superdevil. I was far more impressed with WSU and NEOUCOM than I thought I'd be. They were initially the two lowest ranked on my list, but I gave them serious consideration after interviewing. My big concern with NEOUCOM was the recent curriculum shift. Overall though, I think I could have been happy at any of the Ohio schools and gotten an excellent education. The match lists at WSU/NEOUCOM/MUO are fairly impressive, with a decent amount of people matching into competitive specialties.

MUO also has a MD/PhD and a MD/MS. They have a MPH, but I'm not sure if they have combined it with the MD yet.