I'm about to graduate from WVSOM. The major problem I have with WVSOM, and probably most medical schools is the cost of out-of-state tuition. You cannot become resident of WV when you are a student. You are forced to pay this ridiculous tuition the entire time. I question, everyday, why I should pay 45 grand or more a year when the only contact I have with WVSOM is through my SWC (state-wide-campus) administrators, during my clinical years (3 and 4), which is minimal. I don't believe the education I get is worth the expense. Sure, WVSOM is listed by US. NEWS at # 12 for primary care, however they fail to mention it is listed as #5 for medical schools that lead to the highest debt (
http://www.usnews.com/education/bes.../14/10-medical-schools-that-lead-to-most-debt). This is a national trend as well with student debt recently surpassing credit card debt nation-wide. I'm upset about this, this is a high burden, and when I took the tour of WVSOM, they argue "well you're going to be a doctor so you can afford it." They also mentioned "no one has defaulted on their loans yet" That's an absurd argument and I should of taken it as a warning sign! You will be a slave to your debt for several years. This trend cannot continue, and I expect a large economic backlash in the future, similar to the 2008 recession. Same thing for medicine as a whole.
I should also mention that WVSOM was #8 for primary care when I first attended, and has fallen to 12. Looking at the match list in my class (2012), it's obvious that people aren't as interested in primary care as they used to be, when comparing present to past match lists. I have looked at them the past 4 years, and there are more specialties matched every year. WVSOM's mission is to increase rural physicians in primary care, they are doing the opposite with their high debt loads.This provides a higher incentive to pursue a specialty which guarantees a higher income. And usually that will require an out of state residency. I'm near furious about this situation. I should of seen it coming, but how can you truly know what you want to do in life until you actually are doing it for a sustained period of time? Shadowing a doctor doesn't give you the same understanding as being a doctor. I was initially naive but I am fully aware now.
Honestly, I love my class, and there are great people at WVSOM working for the students, on a beautiful campus, but this is overshadowed by the financial burdens that follow graduation. WVSOM may not be a for profit school, but they sure seem to behave that way, always erecting new buildings and installing these ridiculously expensive robots, that we hardly use, and barely get any sort of educational value out of. They use these as a key selling point for WVSOM. It's purely to entice new applicants. You may learn how to intubate, or run an ACLS code but you forget it all by the time you enter your rotations and have to re-certify anyways. I don't think WVSOM prepares you too well for your 3rd and 4th year rotations. I think the students prepare themselves adequately, and nearly autonomously. With the mandatory stay in WV for your 3rd year requirements, it hurts your chances of establishing your candidacy for residency at your hospital of choice, which likely wont be in West Virginia, due to lack of residency programs in the state.
I think WVSOM is only reasonable for students who are already WV residents, would like to stay close to home, but are without a doubt, 100% sure they want to pursue primary care in West Virginia. This is somewhat paradoxical as you cannot be 100% sure until you are out there doing rotations, experiencing the job itself. Most of us have no idea what specialty we want to pursue when we go into medical school. We figure that out in our 3rd, and often 4th year. Honestly I think a lot of us chose WVSOM because we didn't get accepted elsewhere, or because the facilities are nice. I was accepted to a few other schools LECOM, TEMPLE in PA, I should of stayed there, but I was enticed by the facilities and was initially pursuing a Navy scholarship ( I did 4 years prior). The facilities are nice but this really only matters in the short, short term. My advice to prospective students is take WVSOM's mission very seriously, as they reduce your chances of going anywhere else but WV. Retake the MCAT, get a better score, go to someplace you'd like to end up in life. Feel like you have to go somewhere THIS year? take the year off, get a job, do some research, or something to boost your application, devote a solid 2 months to the MCAT, doing practice questions and go somewhere else. You've got plenty of time. WVSOM will typically accept a lower MCAT, but don't use this to get your foot in the door to becoming a doctor, sure that will work, but it will be much easier if you just retake the MCAT, and wait it out. Unless you want to stay in WV, and do primary care, as their mission states. Dont make the same mistake I did! Many of us thought, "well we'll get the degree and go somewhere else afterwards," This works, and many many of us did just that, but it's more difficult when you're forced to stay in WV your entire 3rd year (minus your few electives) I mean all of this from my heart, and I hope it helps. If you're already going there, you'll be fine, but if you're a prospective student, think carefully.
Seems like most educational institutions just take advantage of people's hopes and dreams to make a dollar these days. This kind of crap is only driving up the cost of healthcare.
that is some advanced statistics right there
