I was recently accepted to both Meharry Medical College and Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. I have been talking to a lot of doctors and they seem to think that I should attend Meharry in order to get a MD degree. On the other hand, Nova seemed to be in a better area and the school appeared nicer. Does anyone have any advice for me to help me decide between these two schools?
Meharry vs Nova
- Thread starter dinkde
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Which is cheaper?
And I would go with Meharry.
And I would go with Meharry.
I believe Meharry is slightly cheaper (~$2000), but not significant enough for me make a decision based on that alone.
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Average indebtedness for Meharry=225k for Nova it's 280k
Plus the whole MD vs DO thing....
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It's an MD school, that should be all you need. And if it's not, as posted above, it's also $55k cheaper over 4 years. And if that's not enough, did I mention it's an MD school?
Now if you're not black, I can understand your reservations, as many have alluded to in the past when it comes to HBCUs. But just know that the percentage of non-black students at these HBCUs is higher than the percentage of black students at non-HBCUs (I hope that makes sense). So if black people can go to a school where they make up less than 3% of the student body, I'm sure you can too 🙂
If you're black, disregard that last paragraph 👍
inb4racewars
Now if you're not black, I can understand your reservations, as many have alluded to in the past when it comes to HBCUs. But just know that the percentage of non-black students at these HBCUs is higher than the percentage of black students at non-HBCUs (I hope that makes sense). So if black people can go to a school where they make up less than 3% of the student body, I'm sure you can too 🙂
If you're black, disregard that last paragraph 👍
inb4racewars
You do have a point that the debt will be quite a bit cheaper after all 4 years are accounted for
I am not black, but I am native american and mexican, so I have been a minority in my communities that I have lived in all my life. But the fact that this is a HBCU seems to affect my parent's judgment moreso than my own. My main concern is trying to figure out if I will be happy in the medical school for the 4 years that I spend there, and how competitive I will be for residencies when that time rolls around. I thought Nova's campus and atmosphere was better which makes me want to go there, but on the other hand Meharry offers the MD degree which should help me with residencies later down the road.
Currently I am leaning towards going to Meharry unless I hear from others that getting a residency as a DO is just as easy as if you are a MD. But I know that is not the case. Even with DOs becoming more acceptable, DOs still need to take the COMLEX and the USMLE exams in order to go MD residencies. I have heard that many DO students become worn out after studying for the COMLEX exam, and therefor do not perform as well on the USMLE
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I understand where you're coming from and I think you should remove your parent's feelings from this equation. The decisions you make in the next few months will follow you the rest of your life, so you have to make sure it's what you want moreso than anyone else. And if you have the option of attending the MD school, you'll be more competitive for the better residencies, no doubt about that. Unless something about NOVA is really pulling at you and you have been wanting to go there your whole life (which you said is not the case), then definitely go to Meharry and don't look back. As for the DOs tiring out before the USMLE, I have no idea, but either way, good luck with your choice *cough Meharry cough*
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Lol. What's wrong with Drexel? I only ask because I have seen negative comments toward the school several times on this forum.
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Just to clarify, DOs are not required to take both licensing exams to match ACGME. Currently, they either accept both or just the USMLE. I don't know if that is going to change or not after 2015. It's tough to say what the lasting effects will be on the dynamics of residency matching. As for tiring out after studying for the COMLEX and before the USMLE, I think it may be a matter of study strategy.
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My understanding was that most ppl who take both study for the usmle first, take that, then just study the omm stuff for the comlex
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That's what I meant by that phenomenon being potentially attributed to a difference in study strategy.
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Some people had bad experiences while interviewing (MedPR's experience seemed pretty terrible). I actually had a great time interviewing and checking out Philly. The one thing I don't like about Drexel is that they have a really really terrible shuttle driver. Probably the rudest person I've ever encountered.
Anyway, the bad SDN rep has to do with the few bad interview experiences a few posters have had. The school itself is solid and I'd be totally happy if I end up going there in the fall.
OP: unless you'd be completely miserable at the MD school, I'd go with the MD school.
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Go where you're happy. I would pick the MD, but if you feel like you'll be alienated or if you're not really gunning for competitive residencies, then nova may be right for you.
If I were in your shoes, I would have a hard decision also because I love Nova and it's connections in the area. But the MD title definitely has an allure that you can't just reject
Good luck on your decision, but remember that the MD title will not close any door on the outset (however boards and grades might).
If I were in your shoes, I would have a hard decision also because I love Nova and it's connections in the area. But the MD title definitely has an allure that you can't just reject
Good luck on your decision, but remember that the MD title will not close any door on the outset (however boards and grades might).
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Thread moved to School Specific Discussions—the correct forum to discuss specific schools.
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Meharry in today's atmosphere though Nova is good too.
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I was accepted at both. While I will not be attending either, I was ready to choose Nova over Meharry, simply because I felt like Nova was the better fit for me.
To each his own.
To each his own.
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If you've seen negative comments several times why are you still curious? I had a bad experience at interview day, but primarily I was underwhelmed by the facilities, neighborhood, and students. It felt like being in a rundown frat house.
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Don't let proximity to the beach fool you. Broward County is awful. I've unfortunately spent a fair amount of time there.
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Broward County, like everywhere else, has it's good and bad parts. Davie is actually in a great part. I've spent a little less than 17 years in Broward and Miami-Dade counties and can say without a doubt that Broward, specifically the city of Davie, is a great place to live.
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