Hi, I'd be glad to answer any questions I can about Creighton. In terms of general info, I think the one aspect that sets Creighton apart is the atmosphere. The grading system is Honors/Pass/Fail and we are graded objectively, not relative to each other or on a curve (passing is passing, regardless of what the average score is).
I think that not having to worry about competing with classmates allows Creighton students the peace of mind and freedom to explore other interests and be actively involved in non-academic pursuits. For example, intramurals are huge... and most people are involved. 100% of Creighton students are involved in some sort of service-oriented volunteer activity (yes, 100%... and this is not required, it's just the way it's been at Creighton for the last several years). I think most people would agree that the prevailing attitude is one that is supportive and helpful; you feel that both students and faculty genuinely want to see you succeed. Having completed years 1 and 2, I think that Creighton makes the process as good as it really can be. Medical school is simply hard sometimes and it's going to suck on occasion. But I've never felt like I was the brunt of a sadistic curriculum built to make my life hard.
Creighton's curriculum is systems based... as is, I think, SLU's. I don't really know what else to say about that. Like most schools, we have some really great lecturers and some that you could easily live without. I think Creighton does a good job preparing us for boards, as much as any school can (it's really your responsibility after a certain point). But I can say that as I study for Step 1, most of what I read in the review books feels like review; so it seems that most of the important board-relevant topics were covered sufficiently. I will say that all of our exams (except practicals) are taken in the computer lab using a test delivery system that is very similar to that used for Step 1. Granted, by the time you use Qbank and whatever other online question source, you'll be very familiar with online test-taking. But still, I think it helps as far as being comfortable with that modality to know that I've taken pretty much all of my exams on a computer for the last two years; Step 1 shouldn't be too new in that regard.
Anyway, back to studying for boards. lol If you have any other questions please feel free to PM me. I can't speak for SLU, but I think Creighton is a good school and I don't have any regrets at this point about choosing it.
