Thanks DodgeThis and others who posted. I actually know a great deal about USC Med because I've been in their 8-yr B/MD program since freshman year of college. I've worked, done research, and even took classes there already. I do think their campus is extremely limited. Housing on campus is not a good option, and there aren't any recreational facilities. On top of that, a lot of students seem frustrated with the lack of support from the faculty there.
Nonetheless, like you said, nothing beats SC's clinical. But for some reason, it still doesn't seem like residency directors view SC's training as highly as they do Michigan's. I don't think that should be the case, but that's what it seems to be.
I'm not a CA resident either so I'm not sure of what my chances of getting a CA residency are from Michigan or from USC. I guess I would switch over to CA residency if I went to USC so that would help. But I'm leaning toward Michigan because I can't imagine how going there would be a drawback.
Thanks again everyone, you've been real helpful.
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Dodge This:
•Straight from the Trojan's mouth...
Your info is inaccurate. USC is P/F without honors the first 2 years. Last I heard we are considering removing the honors in the clincal years to coincide with the first 2 years.
Maybe you forgot since your interview, but we do have a campus at SC--it's just not all that nice. It's not like we're one building in the middle of East LA.
I don't know anything about Michigan, but I can tell you that in the 4th year class that just graduated, everyone matched in CA except for the few out-of-staters that wanted to go back. Then again, USC is mostly CA residents. Are you non-Cali? I don't know what affect that might have on getting a residency here if you don't attend school in this state.
I can't make a fair assessment on the teaching because we're in transition. We're the guinea pigs for the switch from traditional to organ-systems-based curriculum. There are a lot of rough edges still in the administrative department. Some lecturers are awesome and some really suck. It's going to be like that everywhere.
That said, SC's huge selling point has to be County General. We have an Introduction to Clincal Medicine course the first 2 years where we learn history and physical and then practice on patients at County. I'm sure Michigan probably has something comperable, but the patient interaction at LAC is incredible. For the most part, they are so cooperative and so willing to help you learn--all because of the white coat. I've heard from upperclassmen that rotating med students have wide latitude in patient care, plus the degree of pathology is just amazing. Oh, and I think you're basically forced to learn "surival medical Spanish" in a trial-by-fire method. Sounds bad, but it will be a plus in the long-run.
Don't let cost deter you, but I think we're top 5 in the nation. I'll be about $160K in debt at the end of it, and so will about 75% of my classmates (total guesstimate).
As for competitiveness, I'm still not convinced how much the name of your school matters when it comes to residencies. It's your own performance on Step I as well as your letters that will dictate most of that.
Lastly, location. Yes, being in So Cal is nice, but I think it's overrated. Then again, maybe I take it for granted. I've been here my whole life...
Good luck in your decision.•••••