Toledo vs. The Commonwealth Medical College

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breakdancerj

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I was hesitant to post here because it almost seems kind of funny to make such an important decision sound like a boxing match :D. However, I am looking for some solid information to help me make this decision. I will say that I am currently leaning toward Toledo even though it is a difficult decision for a few reasons.

My background: I am married and have a son who will be 1 year old tomorrow. My family lives in Lancaster, PA and my wife's family lives in Staten Island, NY. Her parents have virtually moved from Albania to the U.S. to be closer to their daughter. I have a strong interest in Radiology and related fields, though I recognize this could change. I want to take care of my family, so cost of living and financial aid are a big deal to me. I also want to attend the best institution possible and am most concerned with providing the best situation possible for my wife and son both now and in the future.

My Current Pros and Cons for each school

Commonwealth Pros
- Great location (2 hrs away from both my parents and my wife's) that seems like a good place for a family
- Very innovative curriculum that matches my current interests well
- Low cost of living and environment
- Very kind people in the area in general
- Strong public health focus (my undergrad major)
- This is kind of stupid, but I love to fly-fish and I am assigned to the Williamsport regional campus which will mean great fly-fishing haha

Commonwealth Cons
- Accreditation issues - the recent fall through with U Scranton is very alarming to me as I was told this was virtually a done deal at my interview. The school is supposed to be okay through 2016, but not sure how I feel about graduating from a school that might not exist long after I graduate.
- It seems the school is lacking certain resources and infrastructure - it doesn't seem to have a lot of research opportunities in house (at least a diversity of them), there are a lot of programs but it seemed to me like they weren't well organized or even really happening.
- No hospital or in-house residency programs. It also seemed like there is a primary care focus and less resources for pursuing specialties.
- It seemed like less affiliations with other academic institutions / programs and the fact that the school hasn't graduated a class yet makes me wonder how the school will match.
- Seems like tuition went up dramatically here, even for in-state (which I may or may not qualify for).

Toledo Pros
- Well established institution with strong match lists with a focus on a diversity of specialties
- High Step 1 avg score and especially good step 1 prep.
- Good research opportunities
- Sound infrastructure and stability
- Some of the nicest faculty and students I have met (probably the nicest on the interview trail)
- I've heard the cost of living is low but know less about this (any info would be good).
- It seems like there are some nice areas close to the school but my wife and I didn't really get to see them (we mainly saw the city).
- More scholarships/financial aid available.
- High out of state tuition first year, low for second through fourth.

Toledo Cons
- The distance from our families is rough (8hrs to my parents, 10hrs to my wife's)
- Toledo the city seemed like a mixed bag but kind of a little rough at parts. It seemed like there is some really fun stuff to do there (we went to the Zoo) but I wouldn't want to live in the city.
- Bigger student class, though I am not too worried about this as I felt the professors were very focused on getting to know their students.
- Because of being out of state, I am worried about how the first year will affect funds needed for cost of living.
- Lack of recreational opportunities, particularly for an outdoorsman (though I don't know much about this area so there may be) ... again, I know this one is kind of stupid haha

Sorry for all I wrote - don't expect many people to read through all that but grateful for any help, advice, or info out there, particularly from students at these schools. It was just good to organize my thoughts and I would appreciate any help. I feel very grateful to have a decision to make - just wish I had more than a few days to make it.

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Read the thread about SGU losing accreditation and all the students having to try and scramble to find a transfer spot. Now ask yourself if this is a situation you'd like to face? It's not incredibly likely, but even the specter of that situation looming over my head would be enough to deter me from TMC. Save yourself some headache, go to Toledo.
 
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I signed up to respond to your question, and I chose a screenname of "Scranton" since the word was relevant. However, I don't want it misconstrued that I speak for Scranton or TCMC as I most certainly do not, I am refiling my comment under this screenname.

If you were told at any time that the Scranton and TCMC affiliation was a "done deal," consider closely the veracity of any assurances you were given saying TCMC is "okay through 2016." This is your education and your future. TCMC is a noble effort, but I would choose Toledo. I read elsewhere on the forums that an LCME follow-up report on TCMC's probation status comes out in a couple of weeks. You could wait for that and see what it contains, but if there's anything surprising in it, I have a feeling it won't be positive. Godspeed to you.
 
Read the thread about SGU losing accreditation and all the students having to try and scramble to find a transfer spot. Now ask yourself if this is a situation you'd like to face? It's not incredibly likely, but even the specter of that situation looming over my head would be enough to deter me from TMC. Save yourself some headache, go to Toledo.

Could you post the link of that SGU thread? Thanks.
 
Go to Toledo, and don't think twice about it. I actually applied and got interview invites at both schools so I have some familiarity with both places. Toledo definitely does produce a lot of students that want to go into specialty fields rather than primary care and so that would be a better match if you want to do radiology. TCMC though feels like yeah there is the small risk of accreditation problems but the bigger issue I think is the focus on primary care and if you want to do radiology, TCMC probably won't be a good fit for you. I think it pretty much comes down to whether you want distance from your family to be a deal breaker--I think it's pretty clear that Toledo is the better school for your career prospects.
 
Go to Toledo, and don't think twice about it. I actually applied and got interview invites at both schools so I have some familiarity with both places. Toledo definitely does produce a lot of students that want to go into specialty fields rather than primary care and so that would be a better match if you want to do radiology. TCMC though feels like yeah there is the small risk of accreditation problems but the bigger issue I think is the focus on primary care and if you want to do radiology, TCMC probably won't be a good fit for you. I think it pretty much comes down to whether you want distance from your family to be a deal breaker--I think it's pretty clear that Toledo is the better school for your career prospects.

this +10000000

You can always match back to PA afterwards to be with your family if they can't make the move with you to Toledo. TCMC is a huge risk being new and already having accreditation issues coupled with financial issues...why on earth would you willingly want to be a part of that? I seriously think they should be the last-place non-Puerto Rican US MD school that people consider attending considering they are brand new and already having major concerns. I would honestly go to some solid DO schools like PCOM over them. Toledo is great and they have residency programs for you to get letters and network with to potentially get a competitive specialty. They will put you in the better position to provide bigtime for your family down the road. Do the opposite of LeBron and take your talents to Ohio :thumbup:

Also check out this thread - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=893860
 
Go to Toledo. It seems like through the years TCMC has been making important promises that it has been unable to keep, with the affiliation with University of Scranton being the most recent and perhaps the most troubling example. While I am certain that in the long run TCMC will establish itself as a reputable medical school, it has been a shaky start.
 
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