EVMS over UVA? Anyone?

[Enkindu]

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I know UVA is ranked, etc., etc.... but I really liked EVMS. Anyone else in the same boat? I'm starved for feedback on this issue... feel free to tell me I'm an idiot, share your ideas, etc. Help me decide so I can open up a spot at one of these schools! Thanks🙂

 

[Wahoo07]

Well, I wish I were in your situation, but I'll give you my perspective anyways.

1.) EVMS is a bit cheaper
2.) I'd say facilities are on par or maybe even better at EVMS
3.) I know students at both schools. Some people I know at UVA are stressed a lot, but then again, others aren't. All the people I know at EVMS are always relaxed. The first two years at UVA are REALLY rigorous. They're probably hard at EVMS too, but the people I know there don't usually complain too much.
4.) UVA is ranked.
5.) Norfolk has more of a "city feel" than Charlottesville.

In the end, as people always say, go where you feel you will be happiest. Go to the school that matches what you're looking for in your education. If you want to go into academic medicine or a competitive residency, then you might want to go to UVA cause it might open a few doors. But then again, if you do really well at EVMS, that probably won't matter much.

I'd tell you to go to EVMS, because I want to go to UVA. 😛 😉

Good luck and good job! 🙂

 

[ktran]

Hi,

I think your heart is pretty much set on EVMS based on the circumstancial evidences you presented in a similar thread a few weeks ago. Wahoo07 is right, if your not worrying about competitive residency then go with EVMS becuase you are happier there. But if you change your mind, I look forward to having you as a classmate 🙂 I think you prob. are aware of that UVA changed their evaluation system to Pass/Fail so this should erase the "Hyper-competitive" theory that many people were worried about.
Having to deal with a decision of this magnitude is hard, but you should feel blessed becaues lots of people wished to be in your shoes. In the end, you are the captain of your ship. Please tell you what you decide, and help bring closure for another weary soul out there on the waitlist.
Congrats and good luck.

 

[secretstang19]

I definitely hear you about EVMS vs. UVA. I can tell you that when I visited the schools, I got a completely different feeling from the students at each place. At EVMS, I felt like the students were very happy and excited about the fact that they were going to be doctors. At UVA I felt a little of that, but I also met several students who had a real chip on their shoulder about not getting in to Hopkins. Admittedly, I could have just met bad students, but that's at least the impression that I got.

I also had a doctor at UVA tell me that the clinical exposure students get at VCU or EVMS is actually better than what they get at UVA (due to the larger population base in Richmond or Norfolk vs. the tertiary care given at UVA). He said that at UVA they have to try hard to get students away from Charlottesville so that they can get the real world exposure they need to understand how medicine is really practiced. (Of course, I actually want to practice, which is why he said this to me... if you are interested in going into academic medicine, I'd say you ought to pick UVA hands-down.).

If you look at residency match lists for EVMS, you can still get ENT or ortho or derm if you want to... you just need to be in the top ~15% of your class or so. Which, if you're happy, you should be able to do.

You've got to do what's right for you, but I'd say just go with your gut feeling. If that's EVMS, don't let the U.S. News rankings tell you otherwise.

Just my opinion!