(Disclaimer, planning on going to SLU). I think the extra cost definitely makes sense if you’re for sure interested in something competitive. Having a home program makes a big difference in terms of finding research and mentors to write letters for you. Weigh the extra cost against the risk of not matching or needing to take a research year (losing out on a year of attending salary). I’m also getting generally good vibes from the students and admin that I’ve interacted with and the curriculum seems quite good compared to similarly-ranked schools. Feel free to DM me if you want to talk!
if you're a bright student and will work hard, you'll be able to match to those specialties from EVMS. That difference in cost is huge and aside from the opportunities, there is no 'prestige' difference that you'll get in residencies.
I'd save the money. Bird in the hand. Just find some ROADS mentors early on and get some research in. Network early for your 4th year away rotations.
There isn't a lot of overlap between WashU and SLU. I went to the former and had a bunch of friends from SLU. One guy from SLU matched at WashU in Rad Onc my year at WashU but his step 1 and 2 were off the charts. A couple IMs as well.