Just couldn't help but read the LSU Medicine thread!
I just finished my second year here at LSU-NO and I am currently studying for the USMLE- Step 1. All of you guys who will be starting here in August are gonna love it!
The school is great, (esp. the new curricculum(sp?). I am in the last class of the old curriculum, and I can tell you first hand, the class of 2005 is getting way more hands on clinical experience than our class. There is a lot more small group time than just straight lectures with a lot more emphasis on real-life case presentations as opposed to minutia from a textbook.
New Orleans can't be beat. It's definitely nice to have things to do and places to go when you have breaks.
For those of you still deciding between NO and Shreveport (I was in the same boat 2 years ago), here is why I chose NO.
1. 3rd and 4th year at Charity - enough said. You WILL see EVERYTHING... and more.
2. Higher % of 4th years got 1st choice of residency (I think this is still the case, or at least it was when I applied) and better chance to go out of state for residency if you choose to (very few Shreveport people go further than LA and TX -nothing wrong with that at all; I want to head to the East Coast).
3. Liked the block system of tests. NO has combined exams, where all of your classes combine questions and you have 1 big test approximately every 4-6 weeks (3 or 4 total per semester). Very intimidating at first, but now I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not only does it get you in the mindset of the boards, where questions jump from subject to subject, more importantly (for me anyway) is that you get a BREAK! The two weeks post-test are very laid back - sure class is still going on, but you can relax, go out, see friends, go home, go on trips..whatever!
4. I'm from Baton Rouge originally (LSU undergrad), so took that into account as well. Although not one of the key factors (I don't go home that often...) it's still reassuring to be close (and get home cooked meals from time to time). Plus, it's closer to BR for football games (by the way - the med school gets around 100 tickets for each game so you can pretty much go to any LSU home game you want - and they're free!!)
Those were my top reasons. Nonetheless, I was still very impressed with Shreveport. I interviewed and got into NO in November (and no my MCAT was NOT good, several points below the school average). I didn't hear from Shreveport, the only other school I applied to, until February (probably because of my low MCAT) but still went up there to check it out. I was hoping to be unimpressed so that my decision would be easy. But, I really liked it. The people, students and faculty, were really welcoming and the facilities are impressive. Just not as much going on as New Orleans.
All in all I think both schools are good. I have several close friends in the Shreveport class, and I think they really enjoy it there (smaller class, less competitive). I will say that I am very happy with my choice to come to NO and have absolutely no regrets. I know I'm getting a good education and think I'll have many opportunities when it comes to residency selection.
OK- study break over, back to Step 1....
