Western vs. RVU?

[carinakee]

I was accepted into both Western and RVU. I'm from Colorado, but I'm not a huge fan of Parker. Of course, RVU has an amazing program, and great facilities. I've always kind of wanted to move back to California (orginally from there), and their program is also amazing. Guess the whole "streaming" lecture thing is kinda weird.

Pros and cons for each school? Thanks!!

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[Back 5]

I was rejected pre-interview from RVU but accepted to Western-P, so they get my vote.

 

[alpinism]

Not even a question.

Go to Western and don't look back.

 

[GUH]

If you're at the Pomona campus, most of the lectures are not streamed.
I don't know much about RVU since I, too, was rejected pre-interview.

Pros of COMP:
SoCal - Weather and proximity to LA (~40 minutes), the mountains (1-1.5 hours), the ocean (<1 hour), and Vegas (3.5 hours).
Standardized Patient encounters starting very early in first year (I underestimated how important this would be)
Honors/Pass/Fail
A lot of docs in California are familiar with WesternU/COMP

Cons of COMP:
Some streamed lectures
Pomona ain't the best neighborhood (but you can live in Claremont or Chino Hills, which are nicer)
Large class size

Neutral:
You take a lot of classes with Dental/Podiatry students. I like this but others don't.

 

[carinakee]

Why are you so for Western? Just trying to understand reasons for both.

 

[carinakee]

If you're at the Pomona campus, most of the lectures are not streamed.
I don't know much about RVU since I, too, was rejected pre-interview.

Pros of COMP:
SoCal - Weather and proximity to LA (~40 minutes), the mountains (1-1.5 hours), the ocean (<1 hour), and Vegas (3.5 hours).
Standardized Patient encounters starting very early in first year (I underestimated how important this would be)
Honors/Pass/Fail
A lot of docs in California are familiar with WesternU/COMP

Cons of COMP:
Some streamed lectures
Pomona ain't the best neighborhood (but you can live in Claremont or Chino Hills, which are nicer)
Large class size

Neutral:
You take a lot of classes with Dental/Podiatry students. I like this but others don't.

I've heard that the Pass/Fail thing is not always great for getting residencies. Do you know anything about that?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I was going to type a long detailed response to explain why you should go to WesternU over RVU, but if you have done your homework, then there's no decision to make.

Sorry to be so blunt, but "WesternU vs. RVU". Give me a break.

 

[GUH]

I've heard that the Pass/Fail thing is not always great for getting residencies. Do you know anything about that?

I wouldn't know; I'm just a first-year
But we still have GPA's and class ranks calculated by our percent grades

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

Established school with a 30+ year history of graduating physicians vs. a newer school that has only graduated 2 classes. If you ignore your Colorado connection then it is a slam dunk for WesternU. It is in every respect a better and safer investment of your time, money, and energies. But only you can decide if that is reason enough to leave you home state and suffer in sunny California.

 

[Elevencents]

Have to agree. If you're asking for pro's and cons you haven't done your homework. At least present what you think are strengths and weaknesses of each first.

 

[carinakee]

I've been looking into both schools, and it seems that both are pretty equal in terms of education. I know RVU has great pass rates and residency matches. I think the curriculum there is really good. The downside is location and the "campus." And to be honest, I haven't really been able to find a lot of stuff on RVU since it is newer.

In terms of Western, they also have everything that RVU has, plus it's more established. It's also in California. A downside is the streamed lectures, and the facilities aren't as new. I'd be moving to a new place if I went to Western, so I want to see if its worth it.

 

[Temperature101]

I was going to type a long detailed response to explain why you should go to WesternU over RVU, but if you have done your homework, then there's no decision to make.

Sorry to be so blunt, but "WesternU vs. RVU". Give me a break.

Lol....

 

[Back 5]

I want to see if its worth it.

Not a single person on this board can answer that question for you.

 

[Anicetus]

Both are great institutions at the end of the day.

However, if you go around California and ask physicians and even residencies about Western vs Rocky Vista, they will tell you they know WesternU... and have absolutely no clue at all what Rocky Vista is.

Where do you ultimately want to end up?

 

[carinakee]

I think I want to end up in California. You do bring up a good point. I am truly fortunate to be able to have a pick of what school I attend, but how do people make decisions? It's stressful!

 

[Anicetus]

As far as DO goes, it really depends on what kind of residency you want to go into. If it's ACGME, go for the DO school in closer proximity to the residencies of your desire. I say this after talking to MD's (in SoCal) who take part in the selections for interviews and they told me they haven't even heard of LECOM-B or Rocky Vista, but most definitely know about Western-COMP and Touro-CA.

I used to think it didn't matter where you went, but if you have a preference for somewhere you want to do your residency, especially if it is ACGME, I would suggest go to the DO school closer to that area. If your goal is JUST to get a US residency, anywhere will be fine.