I go to a school where two teachers just recently transferred from WCUCOM. the problem with the school is that it's more than a medical school. So when it comes to budget, the medical school gets the minimum share. They also put in minimum effort, just enough to stay accredited. they barely became accredited and were on probation multiple times. despite that, they increased their class size. They couldn't support their students before, so no one understands why. This is why you hear mixed things about WCUCOM. The students who get the support needed will most likely have a positive outlook, whereas those who don't won't. Medical school is challenging and rigorous and a good school will have multiple ways to support each student.
hey! thanks for the tag! wowzers! current OMS-1 at WCUCOM, so take everything below with a grain of salt!
first things first, i can't speak to the professors that left, because i've never interacted with them. do i know who they are and have i heard stories regarding those professors which were both positive and quite not positive? sure. but in the same way i would caution OP or anyone else from placing weight in the assessment of someone who's speaking about a school they've never attended based on secondhand stories from former employees with opinions which can't help but be biased, i would caution OP from listening to my assessment of two professors i've never met of whom i would only have an assessment based on second hand knowledge that is negatively biased. thus, i'll keep those stories to myself!
with that out of the way, i def agree with someone above that said SDN can be an echo chamber. like the assessment of wcucom above, there can be a lot of things thrown around that have very little sources/data, and consequently truth, behind them. i've found my best interactions on SDN are those that direct me to sources/data, which have in turn helped me make truly informed decisions about my future. and for that i'm grateful!
so, some things!
a) schools that are more than medical schools are like... every medical school, eh? the source for that would be, like, any medical school website? i guess i don't understand that logic.
b) the WCU budget is posted online with a quick google search! you see the exact operating expense of the COM compared to the DPT, Pharm, and undergrad/traditional graduate program budgets. it's not the "minimum share." as a side note the COM is separate from DPT, Pharm, etc. the only 2 programs run out of the COM are the DO and MBS SMP.
c) no one is pulling the wool over anyone's eyes here. the COM is 12 years old in a medium sized city in southern mississippi, surrounded by some of the most rural and underserved populations in the south. this isn't new york. or kansas city. or a western suburb of boise, idaho.
as with many DO programs, the COM is not ashamed of their mission to place primary care physicians, specifically in the gulf south. that said, they're fully aware that a significant portion of students are not going to stay in the gulf south, nor may choose primary care. as
@Goro always says but is so often lost on people on SDN, the student makes the match, not the school. the COM does everything in their power to equally empower each student to succeed, and your education here is not going to hold you back. source? the match results for the last 3-4 classes are readily accessible through a search here on SDN or through a quick google search. there's a good chunk of people in primary care, but there's also a good chunk of people in non-primary care residencies, at some pretty prestigious programs.
d) there's already a lot posted on SDN about why the COM is on heightened monitoring (not probation) with respect to research opportunities and how that is being addressed! again, no one is pulling the wool over anyones eyes. there are an increasing number of research opportunities, but this isn't a large university med center. there are some research opportunities which can be handed to you, but as with most places, if you have a niche you want to explore, you're going to have to do some leg work to find that. definitely reach out to Dr. Weir if you have more questions about that!
as far as support, i'd be curious as to how "support" or lack there of is defined, and perhaps could speak to that more, at least from a first year perspective. while i didn't meet the 2 professors in question, i have met every single first year pre-clinical faculty and each of them has gone out of there way to offer extra didactic time, extra time in lab, office hours, private tutoring, group tutoring, and weekend study sessions to each person in our class. to be honest, the feedback we've gotten from admin is that at least our class hasn't taken advantage of the opportunities professors have offered. again i can't speak to 3rd and 4th year, which might be what the above commenter is referencing but here are some other resources we have:
-full academic counseling/advising office
-unlimited mental health counseling
-boards and beyond
-truelearn/combank
-complete anatomy
-we have a full cadaver lab with 4 people to a cadaver per semester
again first year perspective, but if the above commenter is referencing like second chance opportunities for those struggling academically, if we were given any more opportunities, it'd be a crime. we get lots of second chances. i don't feel comfortable sharing those details publicly but again reach out to Dr. Weir and i'm sure he'll answer you! anyways, take that for with a grain of salt from a first year perspective, and feel free to jump over to the 2022-2023 thread if you have any other questions or want to read more!
oh and also for OP, the religious thing is like a non-issue. it's a shame, because i've heard that as a "con" from a few on SDN this cycle, but i can't describe to you how much of a non-factor that is. the COM has intentionally focused on diversifying our student makeup, and i can tell you the vast majority of our students and frankly faculty are of a race and religion that is not white nor christian/baptist! feel free to reach out to our director of diversity who's contact info is readily available on the website if you have any questions about that!
