UVA vs. EVMS

[virginia girl]

I've been waitlisted at EVMS and UVA since February and now I have the opportunity to go to either. I thought for sure I'd pick UVA, since it has a stronger reputation and it's so close to my home town, but now I don't know. The students at EVMS were SO friendly and seemed so happy to be there. And to be honest, my interview experience at UVA sucked. What do y'all think?

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[liverotcod]

The reputation means nothing unless you are planning on seeking a super-competitive residency. I would go with EVMS if you feel like it's a better fit, personality-wise. UVA is very traditional, from what I hear.

 

[st85]

so I guess UVA's waitlist is moving?

 

[franklinthedog]

admittedly I'm biased as I am on the EVMS waitlist, but, if UVA is in-state tuition for you that is a HUGE difference. EVMS would cost 140k for tuition alone, that is a ton of money no matter how much you make when you get out.

Congrats though, nice to be in your shoes I bet. Good luck!

When did you get into EVMS liverotcod and how? I'll add it to the waitlist assistance thread, thanks....

 

[nellybee]

well if UVA is in-state for her, then so is EVMS. anyway, i dont know virginiagirl. i got into EVMS and MCV and turned down EVMS. i am still waitlisted at UVA. (btw, when did you hear from UVA about getting off the waitlist? i didn't think it would be moving for a long time.) anyway i guess i got thrown by the rankings.. but to be honest, everyone there seemed SO happy and my interview experience there was 100 times better than my interview at UVA. i would love your spot at UVA but i have to say if i was you, i would take UVA over EVMS. i love charlottesville and the school has a great reputation.

 

[franklinthedog]

well if UVA is in-state for her, then so is EVMS. by nellybee

I've got to quit eating dummy burgers! I thought EVMS was private, my bad.

 

[beambright]

She is kidding you...My uncle is a UVA clinical professor of surgery and says the waitlist is NOT moving yet and won't move much when it does move. And, no, he did not get me into UVA....I didn't even get an interview! I am
waitlisted at 4 schools and going nuts. ALSO....people talk about calling
but what do they say...."Hello...please bump more qualified people for me
cause I am kissing up to you." I don't get what the calls do....this
system is like sorority rush and pretty stupid and unfair if just calling the
secretary moves you up the list. Some of us are waiting our turn and going
to get left in the dust because we aren't Hoovers (vacuums...suck ups, etc.)

 

[rgporter]

I've been waitlisted at EVMS and UVA since February and now I have the opportunity to go to either. I thought for sure I'd pick UVA, since it has a stronger reputation and it's so close to my home town, but now I don't know. The students at EVMS were SO friendly and seemed so happy to be there. And to be honest, my interview experience at UVA sucked. What do y'all think?

My finaid package from UVa rocked. I chose UVa over a couple of schools that accepted me and I've never been happier with a decision.

 

[chigirl78]

Wow...I thought this was about decision making. Seems someone needed to vent.

I chose EVMS (as an out-of-stater) for many reasons. To me, EVMS is a special place and I didn't find another institution that compared. Don't be thrown by reputation alone. EVMS has a wonderful reputation (especially in surgery and internal med) and educates intelligent and clinically competent physicians.

 

[TheFlash]

I've been waitlisted at EVMS and UVA since February and now I have the opportunity to go to either. I thought for sure I'd pick UVA, since it has a stronger reputation and it's so close to my home town, but now I don't know. The students at EVMS were SO friendly and seemed so happy to be there. And to be honest, my interview experience at UVA sucked. What do y'all think?

OK, a couple of my friends are waitlisted and they said that the UVa waitlist doesn't see movement until late June, and even then it's not much. I think you're full of it. A quick search of your posting history shows that just a week ago you asked "Anyone withdrawing from UVA? I'm seriously in love with this school!"

 

[virginia girl]

Whoah! I was trying to be concise and rereading it now, I was obviously misleading. I didn't mean to confuse or offend any of you. I am very sorry.

There has not been any movement on the UVA waitlist that I know of. I don't think anything happens there until June.

The EVMS list, however, is moving. I got accepted there on Monday. Since getting that letter, I've had two people call to tell me to keep trying on the UVA front and both offered to write me recs. In addition, my resume has improved significantly since my interview (great new job, new clinical volunteer activities, new classes, etc.) and I haven't updated UVA on any of that yet. The point is, I really could make a difference in my application if I wanted to. And because UVA doesn't rank their waitlist, it would matter a lot. I'm trying to decide if I actually want to pursue this or if I really am happy with EVMS.

I was just trying to set up an EVMS v. UVA forum, all things being equal.

Sorry for being lame.

 

[virginia girl]

well if UVA is in-state for her, then so is EVMS. by nellybee

I've got to quit eating dummy burgers! I thought EVMS was private, my bad.

EVMS is private and it is more expensive. According to the finaid pamphlets, most instaters come out of there with $30,000 more debt than they would at UVA. I'm not really stressing over the money though. I was kind of expecting to be ridiculously in debt by the end of this.

 

[mw2007]

Virginia Girl, EVMS is a great place (I'm admittedly biased bc I was born there and my mother is there on faculty, however, I attend medical school in NYC and pay even more than at EVMS). Some things to consider:

1) UVA is in a small town, EVMS students see a larger and more varied pt population, and that is a direct benefit
2) EVMS does make its students a priority, even more so than other schools, perhaps in part due to the fact that its ranking isn't as strong
3) anywhere you go you will get as good of a medical education as you want to, i.e. proportional to your effort
4) though EVMS is private, there is a program for Virginians (yay!) to suppliment the cost (though not entirely), I forget the name, so I'd email their financial aid dept and they'll tell you
5) you can accept the spot at EVMS and stay on the UVA waitlist


ps last year UVA's waitlist did in fact move

 

[aquaboy]

I think the choice should be a "no-brainer". I might be a little biased though. The only reason you should turn down an acceptance to UVA is a) you get into a better school or b) you hated your interview here and the school really rubbed you the wrong way. You will get great training at UVA no matter what field you want to go into and come residency time you will have a better chance of getting the residency you want coming from UVA than from EVMS on the whole.

I've said it before but people on the waitlist should have "cautious optimism" because it does move but only an average of 12 out of around 100 are taken off of the list every year. That is straight from the admissions website. I've only met one person personally in my class that has come off of the waitlist. I would accept the EVMS offer and plan on going there and if you get into UVA then change plans if that's what you want.

 

[TheFlash]

The UVa waitlist does move more than people seem to think. I personally know of at least three people that got in off the waitlist last year, and they were all state residents and UVa undergrads. I also know for a fact that the out-of-state waitlist sees a good amount of movement... UVa triples the number of out-of-state accepts to fulfill its quota of out-of-staters, so the matriculation rate is pretty low.

aquaboy, that website says they have 12 matriculants coming in from the waitlist, but that's not the actual number they accept from the waitlist, which is in all probability much more.

Chins up, guys. UVa's a terrific school.

 

[beambright]

UVA IS a terrific school but biased against their own residents. It is
maddening.....are there any other schools you know of that take so many
out of state students? I guess it is cause they get more $ but it is a
catch 22 for people like me....most other state schools (like Tennessee
and West Virginia for example) almost exclusively take their students from
residents of that state. Virginia takes a huge number of out of staters
which means for me as an in state student, I am NOT favored as I would
be elsewhere. I'm weary....heading to bed.

 

[riopsedm]

EVMS is private and it is more expensive. According to the finaid pamphlets, most instaters come out of there with $30,000 more debt than they would at UVA. I'm not really stressing over the money though. I was kind of expecting to be ridiculously in debt by the end of this.

woah there...as an in-stater at EVMS, your tuition is only about $18,000 (this might go up a bit this year)...a quick check of UVA's financial aid website (http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/financial-aid/costs.cfm) shows their first-year tuition alone is $24,600 (in-state...$36,000 out)! i know that due to virginia state budget issues they've really had to increase tuition a lot over there in the past few years. Though EVMS is private, the administration has really been trying to buffer the costs for students, moreso than at the other virginia schools.