2018-2019 Western Michigan University (Stryker)

[naslukmor]

I haven't decided yet, but I most likely will be getting the cheapest on as well. I am not ready for the transition from PC to Mac

Borderline want to see if I can get my brother to convert my PC laptop to a iOS. I know there is a way to do it, but I wonder if it’ll work lol.

Shoutout to little Asian brothers for being their for big sis in these troubling times lol

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[DrRiker]

Borderline want to see if I can get my brother to convert my PC laptop to a iOS. I know there is a way to do it, but I wonder if it’ll work lol.

Shoutout to little Asian brothers for being their for big sis in these troubling times lol

It'll never be 100% functional - macOS is designed for Apple hardware - but people have found ways to circumvent this on a hardware-by-hardware basis.

 

[friendly_capybara]

I'm not seeing the matriculation portal email -- did it come from a different sender than usual? I checked my spam and still didn't find anything...

 

[Mavski]

I'm not seeing the matriculation portal email -- did it come from a different sender than usual? I checked my spam and still didn't find anything...

They are sending out access to the portal over two days (yesterday and today) so it’s possible you haven’t gotten it yet! If nothing else, email or call admissions!

 

[chiefchiefchief]

Accepted yesterday with a half-tuition scholarship but declined. Weird that I went from being a waitlisted applicant to getting a recruitment scholarship—surprising turn of events

Same. Got in recently after 5+ months of waitlist with a huge scholarship. Accepted elsewhere though so if I withdraw, this scholarship will be released to someone else.

 

[naslukmor]

Anyone else moving in from California a little early to settle in Kalamazoo?

I signed a lease in a 1 bedroom with Kalamazoo commons near downtown, and I can move in starting June 1st.

 

[AsepticTechnique]

Will the parking permits allow us to park on the main/undergrad campus as well? Or are they separate?

 

[crispyboi]

Does anyone know if we're required to get Michigan residency/car registration?

 

[pp156287]

Not sure if this was asked before, but how is the movement on the waitlist at WMed/what is the percentage of students accepted off the waitlist? Thank you!

 

[golgi body]

Not sure if this was asked before, but how is the movement on the waitlist at WMed/what is the percentage of students accepted off the waitlist? Thank you!

On interview day they gave the impression that they take a lot of students off the WL. I believe their post II acceptance rate is around 40-50% (outright acceptances and WL acceptances combined). Although some people have reported WL acceptances, it doesn’t seem to be that much. Could just be SDN reporting bias though

 

[Rockyleft]

Is there a site or link I can look at for housing that is close to the school?

thanks

 

[kipper68]

Will the parking permits allow us to park on the main/undergrad campus as well? Or are they separate?

Nope. They only allow you to park at the John st lot which is like a 5 min walk from the school. Parking kind of sucks...

 

[kipper68]

Does anyone know if we're required to get Michigan residency/car registration?

Not required by anyone besides the state. If you're living here, I think you should register your car here. Most of my classmates did this by 2nd year, but I know a few who have kept their original registrations and keep renewing it in those states. I just always thought in case you got into an accident, it would be much easier with MI registration.

 

[DrRiker]

Not required by anyone besides the state. If you're living here, I think you should register your car here. Most of my classmates did this by 2nd year, but I know a few who have kept their original registrations and keep renewing it in those states. I just always thought in case you got into an accident, it would be much easier with MI registration.

Michigan has very expensive car insurance though. Be warned.

 

[AsepticTechnique]

Nope. They only allow you to park at the John st lot which is like a 5 min walk from the school. Parking kind of sucks...

Ahh so if you wanted to use the fitness center at WMich you would have to also purchase an undergrad parking permit

 

[imagiraffe]

Ahh so if you wanted to use the fitness center at WMich you would have to also purchase an undergrad parking permit

You could honestly just take your chances if you go after 5-6 pm because that’s generally when parking services stops working (though campus police does ticket too) or park at the meters after 8pm on weekdays as they’re free at that time

 

[crispyboi]

Withdrawing my acceptance here - good luck to all of you on the waitlist!

 

[townie315]

Accepted off the waitlist - thank you, Crispyboi (probably)!

I'm currently in my second week at a DO school (yes, they started very early!) where I would save $15k/year plus interest in costs UNLESS WMed comes through with a good aid package. I like WMed overall more as a school and am seriously considering transferring, even though it would be a slight short-term pain. I'm seriously considering primary care, but it would be good to have a better chance at other options in the event that I change my mind. I'm also interested in academic medicine, which seems to be more MD-friendly. And I love WMed's small class size - I'm at a school of over 300 student doctors/class right now. I'm also happy to see the MIDocs program in place, which would pay me up to $75,000 to practice primary care for two years in Michigan after residency.

I'm going to contact financial aid first thing in the morning, of course, but can anyone here comment on their experience regarding financial aid and learning about your package after being accepted off the waitlist? Does coming off the waitlist put one at a disadvantage in terms of aid awards? I vaguely recall during the interview that I would likely be offered the same aid package as the person whose seat I inherited.

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance!

 

[DrRiker]

Accepted off the waitlist - thank you, Crispyboi (probably)!

I'm currently in my second week at a DO school (yes, they started very early!) where I would save $15k/year plus interest in costs UNLESS WMed comes through with a good aid package. I like WMed overall more as a school and am seriously considering transferring, even though it would be a slight short-term pain. I'm seriously considering primary care, but it would be good to have a better chance at other options in the event that I change my mind. I'm also interested in academic medicine, which seems to be more MD-friendly. And I love WMed's small class size - I'm at a school of over 300 student doctors/class right now. I'm also happy to see the MIDocs program in place, which would pay me up to $75,000 to practice primary care for two years in Michigan after residency.

I'm going to contact financial aid first thing in the morning, of course, but can anyone here comment on their experience regarding financial aid and learning about your package after being accepted off the waitlist? Does coming off the waitlist put one at a disadvantage in terms of aid awards? I vaguely recall during the interview that I would likely be offered the same aid package as the person whose seat I inherited.

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance!

See what financial aid says. To me, MD versus DO would be worth a $60,000 difference

 

[townie315]

Anyone from WMed with any comments about their education to sway me?

Full disclosure - current school is MSUCOM. Not in love with the whole association with the Dr. Nassar and Dr. Strampel controversy. Also not a fan of the hoops to jump through with the DO route, along with the forced OMM and COMLEX, the unpredictability of third-year rotation site, and the city of Lansing overall. The facilities are a bit out of date. The class size is super big. The course material and curriculum are a bit disorganized. I did grow up a Spartan fan, and I love MSU, but there are definite downsides to being here.

I think that the KZoo location is great, as it's equally close to my best friends in Chicago and family in Detroit. I like the 84-student class size. I like the idea of taking Step 1 after third year. The curriculum at WMed looks to be well-structured and organized. The pass rates and average Step scores are very encouraging. The matches are solid and will only improve with time. My interview date at WMed was definitely my favorite. The place felt like home.

My only concern is money. I can deal with the short-term chaos of moving and finding someone to sublet my current place and whatnot. I just want to be confident that an extra $60k+ investment is worth it, especially since I am distinctly interested in primary care and wouldn't derive any financial benefit from the MD degree relative to a DO degree yielding a similar match. I know that any difference in costs of <$100k is often said to be small potatoes in the greater scheme of things, but that's just difficult for me to grasp or comprehend at the moment. Any and all comments are welcome!

 

[DoomDoomie]

Anyone from WMed with any comments about their education to sway me?

Full disclosure - current school is MSUCOM. Not in love with the whole association with the Dr. Nassar and Dr. Strampel controversy. Also not a fan of the hoops to jump through with the DO route, along with the forced OMM and COMLEX, the unpredictability of third-year rotation site, and the city of Lansing overall. The facilities are a bit out of date. The class size is super big. The course material and curriculum are a bit disorganized. I did grow up a Spartan fan, and I love MSU, but there are definite downsides to being here.

I think that the KZoo location is great, as it's equally close to my best friends in Chicago and family in Detroit. I like the 84-student class size. I like the idea of taking Step 1 after third year. The curriculum at WMed looks to be well-structured and organized. The pass rates and average Step scores are very encouraging. The matches are solid and will only improve with time. My interview date at WMed was definitely my favorite. The place felt like home.

My only concern is money. I can deal with the short-term chaos of moving and finding someone to sublet my current place and whatnot. I just want to be confident that an extra $60k+ investment is worth it, especially since I am distinctly interested in primary care and wouldn't derive any financial benefit from the MD degree relative to a DO degree yielding a similar match. I know that any difference in costs of <$100k is often said to be small potatoes in the greater scheme of things, but that's just difficult for me to grasp or comprehend at the moment. Any and all comments are welcome!

Sounds like you like wmed more, but if your heart is absolutely set on primary care I don’t think it’s worth it. 60k + interest is a lot of money especially on a primary care salary

 

[DrRiker]

Anyone from WMed with any comments about their education to sway me?

Full disclosure - current school is MSUCOM. Not in love with the whole association with the Dr. Nassar and Dr. Strampel controversy. Also not a fan of the hoops to jump through with the DO route, along with the forced OMM and COMLEX, the unpredictability of third-year rotation site, and the city of Lansing overall. The facilities are a bit out of date. The class size is super big. The course material and curriculum are a bit disorganized. I did grow up a Spartan fan, and I love MSU, but there are definite downsides to being here.

I think that the KZoo location is great, as it's equally close to my best friends in Chicago and family in Detroit. I like the 84-student class size. I like the idea of taking Step 1 after third year. The curriculum at WMed looks to be well-structured and organized. The pass rates and average Step scores are very encouraging. The matches are solid and will only improve with time. My interview date at WMed was definitely my favorite. The place felt like home.

My only concern is money. I can deal with the short-term chaos of moving and finding someone to sublet my current place and whatnot. I just want to be confident that an extra $60k+ investment is worth it, especially since I am distinctly interested in primary care and wouldn't derive any financial benefit from the MD degree relative to a DO degree yielding a similar match. I know that any difference in costs of <$100k is often said to be small potatoes in the greater scheme of things, but that's just difficult for me to grasp or comprehend at the moment. Any and all comments are welcome!

I think you would be amiss for staying at MSUCOM. If I had to distill my rationale to one argument: how can you be certain about primary care without doing even one rotation?

Comprehensive opthalmology is essentially primary care for the eyes, with many of the aspects one might enjoy about primary care including broad differentials and longitudinal patient relationships, except that you can also do cataract surgery and immediately change their lives. If you fall in love with that field, then you will be climbing Everest just to match.

 

[townie315]

Thank you all for the feedback!

*Note: this is not intended to disparage MSUCOM or anyone who has gone there, is currently attending the school, or will attend it in the future. There are many unique benefits to the school beyond its in-state tuition. The people there have broadly been very kind and helpful, and the faculty are very clearly experienced and proficient in their roles. And I think that the DO route is excellent for anyone with an interest in OMM or a distinct preference for primary care! I can't emphasize enough how much I do not want my comments to be taken as a negative endorsement of the school or as mudslinging. It has attributes that I happen to not prefer (e.g. large class size, remote third year rotations, etc) that others may find appealing. It also has more legitimate concerns, such as the allegations surrounding certain former members of the administration. My decision to attend was based in legitimate consideration of all of these factors, and my decision to depart is similarly grounded in this combination of perceptions and realities.*

 

[matto_md]

Does anyone have any news on the state of the WL? Particularly whether or not any movement is expected between now and orientation?