HELP: MILLS or USC?!

[eatadandelion]

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Hey guys,

I am a little lost at this point, I have gotten accepted to both schools but cannot decide where to go. I am finishing up my undergrad at UCLA so ideally USC would be most convenient since it's in socal...but I don't know if I can base it solely on location.

Here's my pros and cons list for each school:

USC
pros: location, lots of internship/volunteer opportunities, networking, 80% get into med school (1st time applicants), most end up at USC's med school (Keck).
cons: class sizes (300+), unstructured program, no formal linkages, 2 years+glide year

MILLS
pros: linkages to 4 med schools (out of state and to 1 DO school), class sizes (around 30), strong post bac community, formal program, 1-2 years (no glide year w/linkage)
cons: location, not as many internship/volunteer opportunities as in LA? (not familiar with the area)

I should also mention that I want to end up at a med school in California 🙂


Has anyone completed USC's or Mills' post bac program? Which program do you think is "better"?

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[jslo85]

I personally would choose Mills.

Others probably will disagree with me, but I personally feel that you should always choose the program that will offer the most "options" if you will after completion. Mills has more linkages which equates to the fact that they have an established positive reputation amongst medical schools. It's definitely a plus to USC that it fits your description of staying within California for medical school, but as the admissions process is such a mercurial thing, I don't know if it is a very realistic way of looking at things to base your sole choice around such a program with a very limited range of "options" after completion.

Another plus that I see for Mills is the small class size. It usually means that the student and faculty relationship is very close and that a support system for the students is generally present. It is also a good predictor imo of obtaining quality and personal LOR for the future.

Lastly the other big plus in my mind for Mills is the lack of a glide year that USC has from the information you have provided. I don't know how you view things, but for me, I try and look at the practical and financial side. If you take a glide year now, it is actually 1 year off of your peak income in the future as a physician. Imagine that to be say, 150,000 dollars . You're only getting older as time goes on, you can't push back the date when you will retire/be unable to work. Then you add in the cost of living for that one year (say you're in LA) which will probably be about 13-14,000. You're looking at losing 163 to 164,000 dollars by simply choosing USC over Mills if we choose to negate everything else but the time issue. I don't even know the tuition of either program but from what I've heard of USC, I can't imagine it being any cheaper than Mills. Living in LA is probably quite a bit more expensive than Oakland as well.

For me the choice from a practical standpoint heavily favors Mills. Another way to look at it would be that if you hypothetically do well in the Mills program, it doesn't prevent you from applying and being accepted into any schools in California. The linkages from Mills or the preference that USC gives are added bonuses, and the biggest factor in the end is your own performance in the program. Knowing that by choosing USC, you'd be losing out on that substantial amount of money and options just isn't practical in my mind.

My own 2 cents

 

[eatadandelion]

Thanks for the input jslo85! You're right, everything depends on how well I do in either program.

I have to agree that the class sizes and the linkages at Mills are a big plus and those are the two main factors making my decision very difficult. Personally, I hate big lecture halls but I don't know if that is a good enough reason to move up to Oakland especially since I would have to go through the glide year no matter what because as far as the lack of a glide year goes at Mills, it only applies if I decide to link to one of their med schools - Tulane University School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, or Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. So if I wanted to go to elsewhere, I would have to apply like everyone else and go through the glide year, which isn't all that bad since I will have time to get more experience through research, volunteering and internships. But having those linkages is a definite plus (considering I do well). I do think that it would be easier to do well at Mills because of the environment but I do not believe there are as many opportunities as in LA (?)

As for tuition, it's about $26K/year for Mills and USC's program is $54K for 2 years, so it's about the same.

To be honest, it may sounds stupid but location is my main drawback 🙁

 

[jslo85]

It's not stupid because I think I saw a survey a while ago saying location was probably one of the biggest factors that medical school students filled out as a deciding factor in where they wanted to go.

The problem with this is you're really not there yet and even if USC cites a number like 80% gets in, it's still uncertain if you will be apart of that 80% or 20%. Not to mention is that 80% get in from the previous year's class or does it include those who do not get in the first time they apply and the second as well. I'm sure you're a great student and will not be, but in medical school admissions, I've learned better than to play absolutes or 100% certanties when considering hypothetical scenarios. Also, the tuition may be almost similar, but the "cost" is vastly different if one requires you to take a lag year. It's honestly far more expensive in time and future money.

Also if those are the schools they link to, Tulane is a good allopathic school in New Orleans, not to much to say about that but I'm sure UPSOM will rotate their 3rd/4th year students through the UPMC which is a top 20 (15 I believe) medical center in the US. Western University is located right in Pomona and though osteopathic, places a majority of their students in specialty residencies and a has good board scores in general allowing many of their students to gain AGCME residencies. I've had the opportunity to speak with several from the northwest track that have rotated through OHSU and a few of my mentors for preceptorships and they have all been prepared excellently.

Mmm not really sure if that's the absolute case between LA and Oakland. I went to school at UC Davis and during my first year, I constantly went over to Berkeley and Emeryville to see my older sister who was attending UCB. The proximity from Oakkland to SF allows for many different opportunities in research, shadowing, etc. I have plenty of friends who commute from Albany (near Berkeley and Richmond) to SF for work everyday and back with no trouble so I reason that even if you had to go over to San Fran for your E.Cs. it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

 

[eatadandelion]

You're right, admission to Keck isn't guaranteed if I complete the program but USC did guarantee that I would get into med school if I scored at least 31 on the MCAT -or at least that's what they said at the interview. The truth is I would have to meet the cut-off scores at Mills in order to qualify for the linkages, so technically admission to Tulane or Pitts is not "guaranteed" but if I do meet the requirements, I will be granted an interview. I will have to decide by the end of my first year at Mills which school I will want to link to and will have to apply by November. I will then take my MCAT towards the end of my second year. Skipping the glide year is a definite plus but I feel like everything would be so rushed and crammed because I will have to volunteer/apply/study for the MCAT all at once. I got in touch the program coordinator, Jo Scullion, and out of this years' class, only 3 people decided to link. If I don't meet the cut-off scores, I will have to apply like every one else during the glide year but I feel like I would get two chances if I go to Mills, the first being having the option to link and if that doesn't go through then I will be able to apply again during the glide year like everyone else.

I scheduled an appointment with the program coordinator for the beginning of July so I will finally be able to head up to bay area once I am done with school to explore the area and find out more about the program through current students. I think in my head USC is a better option just because I am familiar with LA. I'll admit that I am relying a bit on their "connections" with different hospitals for volunteer/internship opportunities and I know that downtown LA will have many other opportunities for me volunteering-wise.

 

[aidama]

About Mills and the Bay:

There are PLENTY of opportunities to volunteer in the Bay, you just have to be adamant about looking for them! One of the reasons I decided to stay in California after graduation while applying is purely because of the enormous amounts of opportunities out here as compared to my home state. Berkeley Free Clinic, Peer Health Exchange, CEP runs a scribe program in their affiliated ERs, San Francisco Free Clinic, Oakland Children's and their research volunteer program.. you name it, it's here!

My coworker went to Mills and just matriculated to Tulane after successfully completing the program and getting some MCAT score (not sure what). It's such a weight off of your shoulders to know that you don't have to deal with the crapshoot admissions process, IMO.

 

[musiconcerto]

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