EVMS vs Rosalind Franklin

[giske]

If anyone has any insight, particularly current medical schools who can comment on their experiences, I would really appreciate it. I am having a terribly difficult time deciding between these schools. Cost differences are negligible.

EVMS:
Pros:
- excellent board scores
- amazing student body - felt that 'fit' feeling on interview day
- clinical training sites in close proximity to the school
- I don't know much about Norfolk, but it seems like it could be a nice place to spend the next 4 years. Also better weather.
- Potential to get involved at the Jones institute? - I am interested in ob/gyn/repro endocrinology
Cons:
- Far from my family
- Focus on primary care - I would like to keep my options open for specializing
- Looks like many students match on the east coast? Not sure if that's where I want to be for residency

Rosalind Franklin:
Pros:
- Close to home. Literally a 30 minute drive away. My parents are older and my dad recently developed significant health problems, which is something to consider
- Strong match rates and there appears to be more variety in match locations
- Chicago could be fun in the 3rd and 4th years
Cons:
- Felt terrible on interview day in North Chicago. Did not like being in suburbia
- Clinical sites all over the Chicago area. Driving in Chicago traffic all over the place doesn't sound great
- Winters can be brutal here

I really am torn. Any comments/thoughts would be so helpful. Thanks!

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[catnip12]

I think Chicago might be the better option. I have a very strong relationship with my family and so for me, proximity to family would be an important factor (second only to price tag if a significant difference exists).

I cannot speak to the “tier” difference between the two schools and whether that is important for your decision or not. I did return a secondary app and even received an interview invitation at EVMS and while I ultimately chose not to attend, I found the opinions expressed by @rukia013 to be very helpful in evaluating the school. I hope she can help you with any questions you might have regarding that school (and doesn’t mind me tagging her to this post)

You’re much more familiar with the Chicago area than I am but I imagine the rail system there is a good option too for getting around.

Those are some of my thoughts, hope it helps.

 

[giske]

I think Chicago might be the better option. I have a very strong relationship with my family and so for me, proximity to family would be an important factor (second only to price tag if a significant difference exists).

I cannot speak to the “tier” difference between the two schools and whether that is important for your decision or not. I did return a secondary app and even received an interview invitation at EVMS and while I ultimately chose not to attend, I found the opinions expressed by @rukia013 to be very helpful in evaluating the school. I hope she can help you with any questions you might have regarding that school (and doesn’t mind me tagging her to this post)

You’re much more familiar with the Chicago area than I am but I imagine the rail system there is a good option too for getting around.

Those are some of my thoughts, hope it helps.

Thank you so much!

 

[rukia013]

I am currently in the midst of studying for my boards but I have a break day tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) and can elaborate more then if you'd like! For the time being, there was a similar applicant trying to decide between EVMS and Rush last year so you can read my input here: Rush Medical College vs EVMS

(also I want to quickly note that most med schools will place some kind of emphasis on primary care since that's where the need is but EVMS in no way will limit your opportunities if you are interested in specializing! I had an interest in heme/onc from the start and I've received nothing but support, and I've never encountered anyone who's wanted to specialize but was told no).

 

[giske]

Wow, thank you so much! That would be amazing when you have the time, of course. I'm mainly wondering if students end up on the east coast for residency by choice or due to the school's connections and also what life is like living in Norfolk as I am quite unfamiliar with the area. Great to know about specializing - Thank you for the clarification!

 

[ppushpak]

Rosalind Franklin

 

[rukia013]

Wow, thank you so much! That would be amazing when you have the time, of course. I'm mainly wondering if students end up on the east coast for residency by choice or due to the school's connections and also what life is like living in Norfolk as I am quite unfamiliar with the area. Great to know about specializing - Thank you for the clarification!

I'm not here to sway your decision one way or the other so I will take this time to just point out things you want to consider when deciding between the two schools! (Quick background: I was born and raised in Chicago (NW suburbs), went to undergrad in California, and am currently at EVMS for med school; I had 0 family ties in Cali or Norfolk).

1) My first impression based on your pros/cons for each school is that your heart says EVMS but your brain is saying RF. It sounds like the biggest factor in your decision is your family and that's a really important thing to consider! If you decide EVMS, keep in mind that you will likely only see your family about 3x/year (summer, winter, and spring breaks). Of course, you can always text/call/video call/etc. for additional facetime (or if your parents come to visit) but unless you also have family in VA or are independent and don't get homesick, this can be an issue especially since you want to have a strong support system while in med school. (For me, I don't get homesick and I don't have to talk/see my family often to know that they support me so that's why I was 100% fine with being OOS for both undergrad and med school). It also doesn't hurt to ask your parents how they would feel if you were to go far vs. stay close to home.

2) Regarding match locations, a majority of EVMS students are either from VA or the East Coast so it's natural that a lot of people want to and will match in this geographic area. Ultimately, residencies choose candidates that they feel have a reason to go to their program, and this can be influenced by either you going to a school in the same geographic area or having ties to the region (ie. family or hometown). For me, since I have ties to Cali, Chicago, and VA I potentially have improved chances at schools in all of those regions (or have proof that I can adapt to a new region quite easily). Of course, if you want to stay in Chicago for residency, then going to a med school in the Chicagoland area is your best bet. If you are considering someplace along the East Coast, you may want to establish yourself at a school on the East Coast.

3) While the Jones Institute is super prestigious for REI (I spent a week with them for my Ob/Gyn clerkship and it was AMAZING), you can always apply for their REI fellowship later on in your career. Unless you are dead set on going into ob/gyn or REI and want to boost your application with experience at the Jones Institute, I would personally put this a bit lower in determining factors because there is no guarantee that you will get a research position/involvement.

4) Weather wise: you can choose to deal with the bitter Chicago winter or the disgustingly hot and humid summer weather of Norfolk (which is much worse than summers in Chicago). Norfolk does get cold in the winter (usually no colder than 20F at the worst and hardly any windchill compared to Chicago) but if it snows (or even have the potential for snow) everything shuts down and you get a day off 😀. Also Norfolk actually has seasons unlike Chicago which may only have 1-2 weeks of fall/spring at most. Keep in mind that Norfolk also has an annual hurricane season and flooding is not uncommon.

5) Transportation: in downtown Chicago I'd imagine you can get by with public commute ie. bus, train, etc. but in Norfolk cars are unfortunately the only way to go (or biking in the surrounding campus vicinity)

6) Diversity/richness in life experiences: Norfolk is a very small but up-and-coming place with enough to do as a med student (there's also VA Beach next door) vs. Chicago is one of the biggest cities you can live in and both offer great experiences. I personally would get tired of living in Chicago all of my life and I have really enjoyed being able to live in both Cali and Norfolk as both places have offered experiences that I don't think I would have had in Chicago and I've been really grateful for that. For me, a change in scenery even if just for a few years is nice.

7) Community service: EVMS strives to be the #1 community-oriented med school in the US and there are so many opportunities to get involved with various communities (uninsured, homeless, HIV/AIDs, minority groups, refugees) and with different levels of commitment so if this is something that you are passionate about, you will most definitely find ways to get plugged in very easily!

There are a lot more things that I could talk about but these were the first ones that came to mind that I think are important to consider in making your decision. One of my friends who is now an intern had given me a really good piece of advice when she was struggling to make her match rank list. She said that if you were to hypothetically write down your choices and draw them out of a hat, what is your gut reaction to that choice? Are you excited about it or somewhat hesitant/reluctant?

Hope this helps, feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! 🙂

 

[giske]

I'm not here to sway your decision one way or the other so I will take this time to just point out things you want to consider when deciding between the two schools! (Quick background: I was born and raised in Chicago (NW suburbs), went to undergrad in California, and am currently at EVMS for med school; I had 0 family ties in Cali or Norfolk).

1) My first impression based on your pros/cons for each school is that your heart says EVMS but your brain is saying RF. It sounds like the biggest factor in your decision is your family and that's a really important thing to consider! If you decide EVMS, keep in mind that you will likely only see your family about 3x/year (summer, winter, and spring breaks). Of course, you can always text/call/video call/etc. for additional facetime (or if your parents come to visit) but unless you also have family in VA or are independent and don't get homesick, this can be an issue especially since you want to have a strong support system while in med school. (For me, I don't get homesick and I don't have to talk/see my family often to know that they support me so that's why I was 100% fine with being OOS for both undergrad and med school). It also doesn't hurt to ask your parents how they would feel if you were to go far vs. stay close to home.

2) Regarding match locations, a majority of EVMS students are either from VA or the East Coast so it's natural that a lot of people want to and will match in this geographic area. Ultimately, residencies choose candidates that they feel have a reason to go to their program, and this can be influenced by either you going to a school in the same geographic area or having ties to the region (ie. family or hometown). For me, since I have ties to Cali, Chicago, and VA I potentially have improved chances at schools in all of those regions (or have proof that I can adapt to a new region quite easily). Of course, if you want to stay in Chicago for residency, then going to a med school in the Chicagoland area is your best bet. If you are considering someplace along the East Coast, you may want to establish yourself at a school on the East Coast.

3) While the Jones Institute is super prestigious for REI (I spent a week with them for my Ob/Gyn clerkship and it was AMAZING), you can always apply for their REI fellowship later on in your career. Unless you are dead set on going into ob/gyn or REI and want to boost your application with experience at the Jones Institute, I would personally put this a bit lower in determining factors because there is no guarantee that you will get a research position/involvement.

4) Weather wise: you can choose to deal with the bitter Chicago winter or the disgustingly hot and humid summer weather of Norfolk (which is much worse than summers in Chicago). Norfolk does get cold in the winter (usually no colder than 20F at the worst and hardly any windchill compared to Chicago) but if it snows (or even have the potential for snow) everything shuts down and you get a day off 😀. Also Norfolk actually has seasons unlike Chicago which may only have 1-2 weeks of fall/spring at most. Keep in mind that Norfolk also has an annual hurricane season and flooding is not uncommon.

5) Transportation: in downtown Chicago I'd imagine you can get by with public commute ie. bus, train, etc. but in Norfolk cars are unfortunately the only way to go (or biking in the surrounding campus vicinity)

6) Diversity/richness in life experiences: Norfolk is a very small but up-and-coming place with enough to do as a med student (there's also VA Beach next door) vs. Chicago is one of the biggest cities you can live in and both offer great experiences. I personally would get tired of living in Chicago all of my life and I have really enjoyed being able to live in both Cali and Norfolk as both places have offered experiences that I don't think I would have had in Chicago and I've been really grateful for that. For me, a change in scenery even if just for a few years is nice.

7) Community service: EVMS strives to be the #1 community-oriented med school in the US and there are so many opportunities to get involved with various communities (uninsured, homeless, HIV/AIDs, minority groups, refugees) and with different levels of commitment so if this is something that you are passionate about, you will most definitely find ways to get plugged in very easily!

There are a lot more things that I could talk about but these were the first ones that came to mind that I think are important to consider in making your decision. One of my friends who is now an intern had given me a really good piece of advice when she was struggling to make her match rank list. She said that if you were to hypothetically write down your choices and draw them out of a hat, what is your gut reaction to that choice? Are you excited about it or somewhat hesitant/reluctant?

Hope this helps, feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! 🙂

This is excellent information. Thank you so so much for your insight! I will take a couple more days to ruminate and let you know. Best of luck on your boards!

 

[athenaa]

Which school did you end up choosing?

 

[mb732]

After interviewing at EVMS, I really liked it. The med student I talked to seemed so genuine about her passion for the school, and I felt like she had true answers to my questions about the school. It has def been one of my favorite interviews so far