Medical college of Wisconsin vs Saint Louis Uni

[SmeshBro]

I am conflicted between these two programs. Costs for both are essentially the same. I am potentially interested in EM, Cardiology, and Derm but I am keeping my mind open to other fields as well. As of right now, I am leaning more towards MCW due to the higher NIH funding which I would assume translates to more research opportunities. MCW also has a scholarly pathways track that I am interested in. I'm also waitlisted at UC Davis which I would choose over these two programs...but alas I have not heard anything back.

I am sort of turned off by the religious affiliation of SLU, but I would like to hear your thoughts and opinions between these two programs. Thanks!

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[goldfish.bowl]

Disclosures: I turned down my SLU offer in favor of another school, and I don't know anything about MCW. But I know what you're going through and I hope this insight is helpful! Also, I'm from STL.

SLU is in STL, which has the feels of a small town with the luxuries of a city. Big beer scene, big sports scene, but there is also a lot of art/music to be found. Really nice parks including tower grove and forest park, which has free museums and is wonderful. Some really good restaurants.

True P/F for the first two years which is nice, but the larger class size (~178) is something to consider. The students sounded generally pretty happy. SLU also cares a lot about community service so there are a lot of opportunities for that if you are interested. The new hospital building seemed really nice, and the campus is really pleasant. The administration sounds like it really genuinely cares about student wellness and has lots of support. One of the students said 'it is really hard to fail here' lol which I took as a positive!

At my interview, I asked the students about research/mentorship opportunities and one of them was like 'ok im gonna level with you'. He said that research was really hard to come by, and in his opinion professors seemed spread a little thin and mentorship was a little lacking. Not sure if that was just his experience but it gave me pause. A few years ago, a lot of the faculty jumped ship because of payment issues and some (def not all) of the programs had to basically rebuild from scratch, may relate to the mentorship issue and may get better as the new faculty settles in. The facilities are also definitely a bit dated, aside from the new hospital building.

Re: the religious affiliation. I had the same worries as you- I talked to a friend and current student and they said that while mostly it didn't come into play, they did feel the presence on service for obgyn. Coudn't really go into details when I pressed, didn't seem like it was anything outrageous but a definite religious influence.

SLU overall has a really good reputation in STL. Students seem really happy and the program really cares about its students. It's just deciding if it's the right fit!

Feel free to ask questions- like I said I'm from STL and learned quite a bit about the program so happy to help as much as I can! Best of luck- this is a great problem to have

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Cheaper one

 

[deleted1065184]

MCW absolutely has more research opportunities than SLU and it's not really close tbh (they also have an MSTP, and that's not easy to get the funding for). But there is still some good research going on at SLU. I'd imagine it's a but more difficult to find, though.

Other than than, I'd say factor in heavily which city you like more. SLU's religious affiliation shouldn't be much of an issue, esp. considering your particular interests. But if research is a big interest for you, it'll be quite a bit easier to find at MCW.

 

[FluffyCat1212]

I went to SLU for undergrad and I would say that the religious affiliation wasn't all that salient in my education. We learned about evolution and everything else that you'd expect to learn at a secular school. The most religious aspects of my education were two required theology classes and being encouraged to serve others, the latter of which was definitely not a bad thing. I would assume that the med school is similar, if not even less religious.

 

[m1redsox]

At equal costs, I would choose MCW. The only things that would make me choose SLU is if I had family there or hated the Milwaukee cold (honest factor that I’ll be considering for residency programs).

 

[xDNA]

I interviewed at SLU was REALLY hard for me to withdraw from there I REALLY enjoyed STL and the faculty was very pleasant and they felt so genuine and sincere. I felt very supported the entire application cycle.

When I asked about research they seem to not have none but also not have a ton. I think if you are interested in research you’d probably be able get some though! I also heard of SLU students getting research with WUSTL which has LOADS of NIH funding and grants since only a park separates the two institutions