DMU vs WVSOM

[Daphne7]

Hey all, so I'm having trouble deciding between these two schools, and I was wondering if I could get some input from the SDN community. I very much appreciate any opinions, thank you so much! Here are the two schools:

Des Moines University

Pros

• Nice facilities, faculty and administration gave off a good vibe when I interviewed there
• Students seemed generally happy
• Top-tier DO school, with a lot of history behind it
• A lot of opportunities for research and combined DO/MS programs
• Tons of other students there from other health professions(potential for inter-disciplinary collaboration?)
• cheap COL in Des moines

Cons

• I've heard weather sucks in both the summer AND winter
• Not familiar with midwest really at all
• I want to match back somewhere on the east coast, but it seems majority of graduates are matching in the midwest area(makes sense)
• I've heard there is a larger-than-normal emphasis on OMM

West Virginia SOM

Pros

• Very nice campus and facilities, school is dedicated solely to medical students
• Students also seemed generally happy
• A very established DO school with state support(and I think it has its own teaching facility too)
• I can drive there from NY(where I live), and I'm more familiar with the area
• Would be easier to match on the east coast, especially in the DC/NC/MD area(which I want), since 4th year you can go anywhere
• Cheap COL

Cons

• Lower % of students passing USMLE(not sure how much this matters)
• Lewisburg is pretty much the exact opposite of where I grew up(NYC)
• less renowned? unsure how much this matters, if at all

Summary:
Both have very similar COL/tuition after 4 years, and both would give me opportunities to engage with community and do research
Just really not sure what to pick at the moment. DMU gave me great vibes when I visited...but so did WV.
I do think weather in WV is probably much better than DMU though.
Did I miss anything? Is there anything else that I should potentially consider? Thanks so much!

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[imbesrs]

DMU no competition

 

[zNoodlez]

WVSOM if you want to live nearby your current place and potentially match locally, otherwise DMU takes the cake.

 

[SmashingTomatoes]

Hi @Daphne7,

I wonder what school you ended up choosing? I actually had to choose between the two myself this year but was given pretty different viewpoints from my mentors who favored WV, maybe because it's closer? Having never been to either campus, I only had so much to go off of but I had thought about the some scenarios as well! Both are heavy primary care oriented for their region.

 

[btsk]

@SmashingTomatoes Which one did you choose lol bc I have the exact same situation rn

 

[chilly_md]

The OP and user you are referring to were last active several months ago.