CUSOM vs VCOM-VC

[appmed]

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Help! I've been weighing my options for months and I am no closer to a decision...which I need to make by Monday. Any thoughts? (I've received a renewable 10K scholarship from CUSOM)

 

[1lifeleft28]

$$ would win in my mind unless I found a reason hugely for vcom over cusom. Or one drastically against cusom

 

[LuluMed]

Help! I've been weighing my options for months and I am no closer to a decision...which I need to make by Monday. Any thoughts? (I've received a renewable 10K scholarship from CUSOM)

Hey! I was in the EXACT same position as you - deciding between CUSOM (with the 10K scholarship), VCOM-VC, and 2 other schools. I ended up putting down a deposit 2 days ago on the school that I felt right for me. I made pros & cons lists and could not come to a definitive conclusion on what was the absolute best for me. I feel like I could've done well at any of them.

Things to keep into consideration: 1. cost - you could save alot of money in the long run with that CUSOM scholarship 2. location - is there one where you are more comfortable? both are relatively rural but VCOM has a bit more going on with VT nearby, 3. gut instinct - where felt the best to you?

I ultimately went with my gut instinct about what I thought was the best choice for me. PM me if you want to discuss anymore.

 

[baxt1412]

if everything else is equal, $10k scholarship wins.

obviously not everything is going to be exactly equal, but if it is an apparent equal, or one school wins in some areas while the other school wins in others, then i think $ wins. also check out rotations and residency matches

closeness to family is also a big one (if you are a family person)
method of teaching could be different (required classes, podcast, etc)

 

[ICUrunning]

Help! I've been weighing my options for months and I am no closer to a decision...which I need to make by Monday. Any thoughts? (I've received a renewable 10K scholarship from CUSOM)

Congrats on getting in.

VCOM is older, established, and accredited. Look at match rates for each school and the average board scores although I'm going to assume CUSOM does not have this since they are new.

Tuition looks roughly the same, so your scholarship would help although I have a feeling these new schools hand out scholarships to attract students since many do not want to go to schools that have just opened. Pros and cons here.

Where are clinical rotations? Proven? Did students seem satisfied with their studies and quality of life when you interviewed? Research available?

You like college football, school spirit? VCOM
Are you Christian, like small rural towns? CUSOM

 

[csx]

CUSOM.
$ + I dont think vcom having VT nearby should be much of a factor. If anything, it can be a distraction when you are there to be a doctor.

 

[LuluMed]

CUSOM.
$ + I dont think vcom having VT nearby should be much of a factor. If anything, it can be a distraction when you are there to be a doctor.

realize that campbell university is the same distance from CUSOM's building that VT is from VCOM's campus

 

[csx]

realize that campbell university is the same distance from CUSOM's building that VT is from VCOM's campus

I dont know much about cambell uni but VT and the whole blacksburg area is definitely a 'college town' and a lot of school spirit and all that jazz. It is HUGE there.

 

[LuluMed]

I dont know much about cambell uni but VT and the whole blacksburg area is definitely a 'college town' and a lot of school spirit and all that jazz. It is HUGE there.

that is true - VT sports are huge which plays into it. but I think it's a matter of preference - I like that environment and I like the access to the big university workout space and libraries so I would go with VCOM over CUSOM despite the price. but that's just my personal preference

 

[ICUrunning]

CUSOM.
$ + I dont think vcom having VT nearby should be much of a factor. If anything, it can be a distraction when you are there to be a doctor.

You do realize that many medical schools are located in college towns or cities with distractions, right? Distractions are good, you can't expect to study 24/7! Grab a couple buddies after exams, go downtown and grab a rail, watch a VT football game, throw a frisbee around, whatever floats your boat.

Distractions would only suck if you're gunning on a Saturday and you can hear the noise from the football game, or dealing with the huge fanbase on gameday.

 

[appmed]

Thanks everyone- I've been endlessly weighing my options...my pros and cons lists can't get much longer. CUSOM's lack of stats on matching and boards (due to their newness) is definitely making me nervous. VCOM has an established record of good board scores and placement rates but the way they do their testing (multiple times a week) seems illogical compared to most schools (1 big block test set up similar to COMLEX). With the exception of their testing, VCOM wins out in every other area for me. Just not sure how to compare the major pro of $ at CUSOM to the con of testing at VCOM. How important do y'all think the testing issue is? Is it something I'll just get used to and it won't bother me once I'm there?

 

[appmed]

Thanks also for even replying- I created my SDN account for the purposes of this thread so I am extremely grateful for your responses.

 

[baxt1412]

the testing probably won't bother you. that is something that is new but probably easily adaptable to.

sounds like VCOM is winning primarily besides the money.

i don't think there would be anything wrong expressing your concerns about board scores to CUSOM and seeing how they respond. obviously do it appropriately and respectfully, but just basically say that you are very interested in their school and could definitely see yourself being a student at CUSOM but the lack of historical data to look at is what is concerning you the most. ask what steps they have prepared to make sure their students are going to rock their boards, etc.


while money is definitely important, you don't want to let money steer you away from what feels right to you (ie joining the HPSP just because of the money not because of the interest in military service)

 

[sc17]

Thanks everyone- I've been endlessly weighing my options...my pros and cons lists can't get much longer. CUSOM's lack of stats on matching and boards (due to their newness) is definitely making me nervous. VCOM has an established record of good board scores and placement rates but the way they do their testing (multiple times a week) seems illogical compared to most schools (1 big block test set up similar to COMLEX). With the exception of their testing, VCOM wins out in every other area for me. Just not sure how to compare the major pro of $ at CUSOM to the con of testing at VCOM. How important do y'all think the testing issue is? Is it something I'll just get used to and it won't bother me once I'm there?

hey! I am in the exact same situation as you! i also have the 10k scholarship to cusom but i've been accepted at vcom as well. I go to VT for undergrad and love it here, but I'm also from Fayetteville, NC which is about 45 min from cusom. I'm also really not sure which one to go to, even though vcom has established board scores and match rates I really don't like the testing system. I inquired about it from vcom students and they said 1-4 tests every week and each test covers around 15 lectures so overall about 45ish lectures per week, whereas cusom has 1 test every three weeks on around 60 lectures I think? So the material is more spaced out.

VT is an absolutely wonderful campus! The immediate surrounding area is really nice but there's also nothing around it beyond Christiansburg. The closest "big" city is Greensboro, which is around 2.5 hours away, or Northern VA which is 4 hours away. Campbell however is right in between Raleigh and Fayetteville (45 min to each). Although Campbell is really rural, I think having the 2 big cities on either side so close will make for nice breaks on weekends, I mean there probably isn't much time to do anything on weekdays anyway.

I'm struggling with the same decision as you, hopefully we figure it out soon! Hope this info helps.