MSUCOM vs KCU

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Which one should I pick?

  • MSUCOM

  • KCU


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summergirl

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Hi everyone, so I just got my first acceptance ever yesterday....and my second acceptance a few hours later on the same day...and then got a post-II rejection from my favorite DO school...all in the same day. I can't even begin to describe how I feel right now. Anyways, I now hold offers from MSUCOM and KCU, and I would really like advices on which one I should choose. I also have zero interest in doing my residency in either Michigan or Missouri so that might factor into it somehow. I've put the things especially important to me in red.

MSUCOM
Con:
Expensive: 62k more expensive than KCU over 4 years (after the Canadian scholarship)
Extremely plain looking facilities (not MSU, just the medical school building)
Really didn't like the other interviewees I've met, which is an extremely rare occurrence that only happened this once out of the 7 interviews I've attended.

Pro:
Affiliated with MSU, so lots of networking opportunities and funding for research
MSU looked nice (just not the med school building)
Closer to Canada (I'm Canadian)
Liked the med students and felt like I can fit in with them
Special support for Canadians (also heard they have ACGME affiliated rotations that give out H1B visas??)


KCU

Con:
Extremely difficult to conduct research
Really not a fan of Kansas City. MSUCOM doesn't have a good location either but I liked it a lot better than Kansas City.
Have to take a pre-req class for KCU. I'm working full time currently so I have to do it online. $700 and lots of time/energy required probably.
Relatively less support for Canadians than MSUCOM (any ACGME affiliated rotations here??)
There was a very strong "Midwest" feel to the current med students group that I met on interview day. Almost everyone lived in Mousourri for a significant amount of time. As an immigrant/visible minority from a very urban east-coast city, I don't know how well I can fit in.
Smaller campus with few other programs, so less chance for social/professional networking.

Pro:

Cheap! 62k cheaper than MSUCOM
Absolutely loved the other interviewees I met. Hands-down my favorite interviewee group out of all the interviews I've attended.
Beautiful facilities.



If money wasn't an issue, I would have picked MSUCOM in a heartbeat because I have lots of chances to do research there. But I think 62k difference is too much, so I'm leaning towards KCU right now. The only issue is that KCU really makes it hard for you to do research, which is something I absolutely want to do in med school. Advice??
 
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MSUCOM. Just looking at your post (I could be entirely wrong), it seems you'd be a lot more comfortable in the Michigan area. For the opportunities you'd get at MSU over KCU, I'd easily pay the 21K difference.

Think about it. That's 80K more in debt, probably $150-200K in total after interest. That's (less than) one year of your salary for a lifetime of not losing out on any opportunities.

I wouldn't read too much on not liking your other interviewees. For all you know they all got rejected...
 
Hi everyone, so I just got my first acceptance ever yesterday....and my second acceptance a few hours later on the same day...and then got a post-II rejection from my favorite DO school...all in the same day. I can't even begin to describe how I feel right now. Anyways, I now hold offers from MSUCOM and KCU, and I would really like advices on which one I should choose. I've put the things especially important to me in red.


KCU

Con:
Extremely difficult to conduct research

I want to leave MI (bias) and MSUCOM has no OOS rotations. KCU has rotations in states I'm interested in living someday.. Including Michigan. So I personally would choose KCU.

I think when you choose a medical school, you should base your decision off of where you think you will thrive best as a student. I know money is a big deal, but putting that completely aside you said you would choose MSU, so I think you should go there OP.

If you want to practice in MI, I think MSUCOM hands down is the best choice (even with the financial side of things factored in.) Plus, being closer to home is nice too, if you want that. I haven't met any students from the med school so I can't comment on the overall demeanor there. East Lansing is definitely a fun place to be though. My friends and I would go there whenever we needed to vent in undergrad. :banana:
 
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Also, OP you want to do research like myself, so that in itself should make you want to attend a publicly funded institution.
 
Hey,

-Pretty much in the same position as yourself, Im opting for MSU because of the stronger rotation sites in Michigan and the comfort of being closer to home. Also, based on the "2016-2017 budget" available on MSUCOM's financial aid page, the Canadian tuition is closer to $60k USD ...making the difference in total cost of attendance between MSU and KCU something like 62k USD over four years (its a lot but I feel my comfort is worth that premium). Also the interviewees from my batch were absolutely fantastic so there that haha.

-During my interview at KCU the students did mention that those that are truly interested in research tend to find opportunities for themselves (either through KCU or other nearby institutions) but you may want to reach out and talk to a current KCU students to see what they have to say.

-Other factors I considered were; board performance (KCU has the edge there), quality of the rotation sites (Subjective to your desired speciality/location of practice) and overall comfort level with the institution (Can you see yourself living there for 4+ years?)

Either way your going to a solid school, Best of Luck!
 
Oh no...I was 90% set on going to KCU and now I'm not sure again. I thought everyone was going to suggest KCU since it's so much cheaper, so I was mostly looking for assurance when I posted this thread. Now I'm torn again... but 21k is so much money I'll have to pay off right?? I'm dead set on moving back to the coasts for my residency though, and neither school has connections to the coast, so residency connections won't really be different between the two. So now what do you guys think? I do like MSUCOM slightly better (mostly due to research and a bit due to student demographics), but I'm not sure if it's 21k per year kind of better.
 
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Oh no...I was 90% set on going to KCU and now I'm not sure again. I thought everyone was going to suggest KCU since it's so much cheaper, so I was mostly looking for assurance when I posted this thread. Now I'm torn again... but 21k is so much money I'll have to pay off right?? I'm dead set on moving back to the coasts for my residency though, and neither school has connections to the coast, so residency connections won't really be different between the two. So now what do you guys think? I do like MSUCOM slightly better (mostly due to research and a bit due to student demographics), but I'm not sure if it's 21k per year kind of better.
it's decided then, KCU
 
Just some other things to think about: I wouldn't put too much stock into how much you liked the other interviewees because everyone can be on a certain mindset that day, and that may not be the best representation of who those people are. I'm also a class of 2021 person, and by the time we're in clerkships, aka 2019, any place we will rotate that has a residency will almost guaranteed be ACGME affiliated due to the merger.
 
Just some other things to think about: I wouldn't put too much stock into how much you liked the other interviewees because everyone can be on a certain mindset that day, and that may not be the best representation of who those people are. I'm also a class of 2021 person, and by the time we're in clerkships, aka 2019, any place we will rotate that has a residency will almost guaranteed be ACGME affiliated due to the merger.
Thanks. Yeah I wasn't really too concerned with the other interviewees since most of them probably won't end up at that school anyway. The visa thing is more complicated. It's not that Canadians can't do AOA residencies, it's that most current AOA residencies don't offer the H1B visa I need to get a greencard. So even after the merger, when all AOA programs becomes ACGME, they still won't offer the visa because it's a completely separate thing not linked to its AOA/ACGME status.
 
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I am currently very very very torn. I oscillate between KCU and MSUCOM so much that I am seriously considering just putting down deposits for both. I can starve myself for a month to do that.

Another little thing is that I am also torn between the campuses offered by MSUCOM. I used to live very very close to Detroit so that's an obvious choice. My parents also want me to choose Detroit since they are familiar with the area and it's closer to them. I also love the fact that Detroit is more urban than Lansing. However, I am very uncomfortable being so close to Wayne State which is literally right next to MSUCOM's Detroit campus. Wayne and I have bad blood since it threw me on the waitlist last year while I fell in love with it on my interview day. It didn't even interview me this year so I never ever want to see anything with the words Wayne State on it. On the other hand, the East Lansing location is the main campus (I always get weirdly turned on by "main" campuses), it has more students (pro, at least for me), more research opportunities, and it's next to MSUCHM (networking opportunities). It's 1.5 hours further from my parents than Detroit is though, so they won't be happy if I choose it.

Oh one last thing, I calculated the exact tuition difference. MSUCOM is actually 62k more expensive than KCU over 4 years. So it's not as bad as I thought but it's still a lot. It will likely balloon to 100k eventually. Since I will probably go into primary care if I'm going the DO route, 100k more debt is going to be significantly more difficult to pay off.

Ugh KCU OR MSUCOM OR KCU OR MSUCOM OR KCU OR MSUCOM OR KCU OR MSUCOM???

I'm sorry I'm becoming obsessive everyone! This process is really bringing out my true vampire colors.
 
MSUCOM is probably one of the most Canada friendly schools, if not #1. Facilities should be last on your concern list. The finiancial difference is large but it sounds like you'd be much happier at MSU.
 
I am currently very very very torn. I oscillate between KCU and MSUCOM so much that I am seriously considering just putting down deposits for both. I can starve myself for a month to do that.

Another little thing is that I am also torn between the campuses offered by MSUCOM. I used to live very very close to Detroit so that's an obvious choice. My parents also want me to choose Detroit since they are familiar with the area and it's closer to them. I also love the fact that Detroit is more urban than Lansing. However, I am very uncomfortable being so close to Wayne State which is literally right next to MSUCOM's Detroit campus. Wayne and I have bad blood since it threw me on the waitlist last year while I fell in love with it on my interview day. It didn't even interview me this year so I never ever want to see anything with the words Wayne State on it. On the other hand, the East Lansing location is the main campus (I always get weirdly turned on by "main" campuses), it has more students (pro, at least for me), more research opportunities, and it's next to MSUCHM (networking opportunities). It's 1.5 hours further from my parents than Detroit is though, so they won't be happy if I choose it.

Oh one last thing, I calculated the exact tuition difference. MSUCOM is actually 62k more expensive than KCU over 4 years. So it's not as bad as I thought but it's still a lot. It will likely balloon to 100k eventually. Since I will probably go into primary care if I'm going the DO route, 100k more debt is going to be significantly more difficult to pay off.

Ugh KCU OR MSUCOM OR KCU OR MSUCOM OR KCU OR MSUCOM OR KCU OR MSUCOM???

I'm sorry I'm becoming obsessive everyone! This process is really bringing out my true vampire colors.
then KCU it is.
 
Since I will probably go into primary care if I'm going the DO route.

Are you serious?!!!! These are the comments that really get on my nerve. You clearly have no idea why everyone is telling you MSU over KCU then. Also, you clearly don't know much about MSU to be making such a statement.

The amount of misinformation I've been seeing by some has been astonishing recently.
 
Wow I'm surprised so many people recommend MSU over KCU. I know research is important but it's not like research is non-existent at KCU you just need to put more work in to obtain a position. There is no way I would ever pay 20k a year more just for research opportunities. Both schools will give you a great opportunity to match into whatever specialty you want and since you don't want to stay in michigan or missouri the residencies with each schools shouldn't sway your opinion. In my opinion there is nothing worth paying 20,000 more to go to one DO school over another, especially when your two choices are both strong schools.
 
Wow I'm surprised so many people recommend MSU over KCU. I know research is important but it's not like research is non-existent at KCU you just need to put more work in to obtain a position. There is no way I would ever pay 20k a year more just for research opportunities. Both schools will give you a great opportunity to match into whatever specialty you want and since you don't want to stay in michigan or missouri the residencies with each schools shouldn't sway your opinion. In my opinion there is nothing worth paying 20,000 more to go to one DO school over another, especially when your two choices are both strong schools.

People really discount the benefit of having home programs.... with the merger they could potentially be the difference between matching your specialty of choice or not.
 
People really discount the benefit of having home programs.... with the merger they could potentially be the difference between matching your specialty of choice or not.
how do KCU and MSU differ with home programs?
 
People really discount the benefit of having home programs.... with the merger they could potentially be the difference between matching your specialty of choice or not.

Even now, before the merger it's a big deal! I've read on here that PD's at MSU tell students verbatim they will rank them for residency BEFORE they have even taken the COMLEX/USMLE.

@redsox93 its that invaluable opportunity that is worth paying $20k more for in my opinion. Especially when it's for competitive specialties.
 
Even now, before the merger it's a big deal! I've read on here that PD's at MSU tell students verbatim they will rank them for residency BEFORE they have even taken the COMLEX/USMLE.

@redsox93 its that invaluable opportunity that is worth paying $20k more for in my opinion. Especially when it's for competitive specialties.

I just can't imagine the difference in matching between KCU and MSU is worth $80k. But then again I'm not trying to do neurosurgery haha
 
Even now, before the merger it's a big deal! I've read on here that PD's at MSU tell students verbatim they will rank them for residency BEFORE they have even taken the COMLEX/USMLE.

@redsox93 its that invaluable opportunity that is worth paying $20k more for in my opinion. Especially when it's for competitive specialties.

Just to add on to @AnatomyGrey12 and @MADD!!!: No doubt that both MSU and KCU are top-notch programs, but for MSU being a public institution, there are more opportunities. As a pre-med, many of us don't really know what we want yet. You don't need more doors closing on you when there are many already closed for a DO than for a MD.
 
I just can't imagine the difference in matching between KCU and MSU is worth $80k. But then again I'm not trying to do neurosurgery haha

Yea we're talking about keeping doors open. But if someone wants to do a non-competitive residency, then of course there would be minimal differences. This is why whenever we make comments, or when advisors speak to you they always say you have to make the best decision that's right for you. If you're hard-set on family medicine for example, our advice doesn't apply and you want to go to the cheapest and most convenient program for you.

But we recommend MSU because you're not losing anything on paper that you would if you chose it from KCU, but do have some things to gain. But this is all on paper. In person there's a slew of personal characteristics like weather, distance to family, etc etc that only an individual can assess for themselves.
 
Are you serious?!!!! These are the comments that really get on my nerve. You clearly have no idea why everyone is telling you MSU over KCU then. Also, you clearly don't know much about MSU to be making such a statement.

The amount of misinformation I've been seeing by some has been astonishing recently.
...did you really have to get so aggressive over a single comment I've made? I'm Canadian who needs a H1B visa, this right here automatically rules out more than half of the residency programs available to US citizens. Especially given the fact that I am very determined to do my residency near the coasts where it's generally more competitive, I wouldn't be able to have the luxury to go after more competitive fields as a DO. That comment was based on my specific situation...you didn't need to be so mean about it...
 
...did you really have to get so aggressive over a single comment I've made? I'm Canadian who needs a H1B visa, this right here automatically rules out more than half of the residency programs available to US citizens. Especially given the fact that I am very determined to do my residency near the coasts where it's generally more competitive, I wouldn't be able to have the luxury to go after more competitive fields as a DO. That comment was based on my specific situation...you didn't need to be so mean about it...

Sorry, I've been a little passive-aggressive recently. But if MSU is Canadian friendly can't you do a competitive specialty in one of their programs theoretically? Wish I knew more about the visa situation to help you out.

And didn't want to be mean, it's just that phrase sounded very much like you saying you were limited to primary care route because of going to a DO school, not because of your visa status. People make the former claim from time to time and that's what I was alluding to in my previous comment.
 
Sorry, I've been a little passive-aggressive recently. But if MSU is Canadian friendly can't you do a competitive specialty in one of their programs theoretically? Wish I knew more about the visa situation to help you out.

And didn't want to be mean, it's just that phrase sounded very much like you saying you were limited to primary care route because of going to a DO school, not because of your visa status. People make the former claim from time to time and that's what I was alluding to in my previous comment.
:highfive:Apology accepted!

Yes I could probably do a more competitive specialty if I applied to one of MSU's residencies as a MSUCOM student, but I want to get back to the coasts to do my residency and they don't have any residency connections near the coasts.

And I think many DO schools (including KCU and MSUCOM) match half of their students into non-primary care fields, so that proves DO can definitely do non-primary care!
 
Even now, before the merger it's a big deal! I've read on here that PD's at MSU tell students verbatim they will rank them for residency BEFORE they have even taken the COMLEX/USMLE.
Not to completely hijack, but can you explain what this means? I assume it's a good thing from how you're talking about it!
 
Not to completely hijack, but can you explain what this means? I assume it's a good thing from how you're talking about it!
Even now, before the merger it's a big deal! I've read on here that PD's at MSU tell students verbatim they will rank them for residency BEFORE they have even taken the COMLEX/USMLE.

I have no clue why MSU PD's would do that. How would they rank them already? Based on what accolades? I would seriously doubt these MSU PD's even know who the students are at that point since if they have not even taken the Steps then they are not in the hospital.
 
I have no clue why MSU PD's would do that. How would they rank them already? Based on what accolades? I would seriously doubt these MSU PD's even know who the students are at that point since if they have not even taken the Steps then they are not in the hospital.

I saw a current MSU student here on SDN posting about it. I forgot his name, but he has a Dr. Phil picture as his pic. If I can find it I'll show u what I was alluding to.
 
I saw a current MSU student here on SDN posting about it. I forgot his name, but he has a Dr. Phil picture as his pic. If I can find it I'll show u what I was alluding to.

Oh I don't mean to discredit you at all by any means but I just find it odd. I can understand that MSUCOM PD's would want to take their own in!
 
I have no clue why MSU PD's would do that. How would they rank them already? Based on what accolades? I would seriously doubt these MSU PD's even know who the students are at that point since if they have not even taken the Steps then they are not in the hospital.
Yeah that makes zero sense? Also what kind of clinical experiences does MSU have 1st and 2nd year where you're getting to know PD's enough to be "ranked"
 
I'm not saying they're ranking you obviously. But they're giving you early assurance that when it comes time to apply to residency, they will already favor you.

And they do this through networking opportunities I believe. I've seen PCOM do it as well where they actually have days where PD's from their OPTI come to campus one day so students and PD's can meet one another.

Ok maybe not PD's, but some representative from the hospital programs.
 
I'd go KCU. The debt is real. Having 100k less debt when you start practicing is going to feel great.

You're like trying to decide between the Yale and Harvard of DO schools. You already pretty much picked KCU before you even posted and obviously the debt is bothering you the most. You'll have all the resources you need at either school to do what you need.
 
I'd go KCU. The debt is real. Having 100k less debt when you start practicing is going to feel great.

You're like trying to decide between the Yale and Harvard of DO schools. You already pretty much picked KCU before you even posted and obviously the debt is bothering you the most. You'll have all the resources you need at either school to do what you need.
So if MSUCOM and KCUCOM are the harvard and yale, what are NSUCOM and AZCOM?
🙂
 
I'm not saying they're ranking you obviously. But they're giving you early assurance that when it comes time to apply to residency, they will already favor you.

And they do this through networking opportunities I believe. I've seen PCOM do it as well where they actually have days where PD's from their OPTI come to campus one day so students and PD's can meet one another.

Ok maybe not PD's, but some representative from the hospital programs.
Is a PD a program director? I'm trying to follow lol
 
Hello everyone, after careful deliberation, and a long chat with my parents, I have decided to choose MSUCOM. To be honest, I really was going to pick KCU up until 2 days ago because 62k seemed like a lot of extra money I will have to pay back, and so many people always say that we should go to the cheapest school. However, my parents convinced me to pick MSUCOM, and said "don't worry about money, you won't have to pay the bank back, you can pay us back". It is without a question that I will do research at medical school, and I can't imagine how hellish life would be for someone who constantly procrastinates when that person tries to do research on top of the KCU curriculum. Additionally, even though I absolutely want to do my residency near the coast, maybe 3 years down the line, MSUCOM will give me a good opportunity to choose between a competitive specialty that I love in Michigan versus a non-competitive specialty near the coast, then maybe I will change my mind. KCU is truly wonderful, but I am going to choose MSUCOM.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION! I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited:
 
Hello everyone, after careful deliberation, and a long chat with my parents, I have decided to choose MSUCOM. To be honest, I really was going to pick KCU up until 2 days ago because 62k seemed like a lot of extra money I will have to pay back, and so many people always say that we should go to the cheapest school. However, my parents convinced me to pick MSUCOM, and said "don't worry about money, you won't have to pay the bank back, you can pay us back". It is without a question that I will do research at medical school, and I can't imagine how hellish life would be for someone who constantly procrastinates when that person tries to do research on top of the KCU curriculum. Additionally, even though I absolutely want to do my residency near the coast, maybe 3 years down the line, MSUCOM will give me a good opportunity to choose between a competitive specialty that I love in Michigan versus a non-competitive specialty near the coast, then maybe I will change my mind. KCU is truly wonderful, but I am going to choose MSUCOM.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION! I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited:
Yay! So happy for OP!
 
Hello everyone, after careful deliberation, and a long chat with my parents, I have decided to choose MSUCOM. To be honest, I really was going to pick KCU up until 2 days ago because 62k seemed like a lot of extra money I will have to pay back, and so many people always say that we should go to the cheapest school. However, my parents convinced me to pick MSUCOM, and said "don't worry about money, you won't have to pay the bank back, you can pay us back". It is without a question that I will do research at medical school, and I can't imagine how hellish life would be for someone who constantly procrastinates when that person tries to do research on top of the KCU curriculum. Additionally, even though I absolutely want to do my residency near the coast, maybe 3 years down the line, MSUCOM will give me a good opportunity to choose between a competitive specialty that I love in Michigan versus a non-competitive specialty near the coast, then maybe I will change my mind. KCU is truly wonderful, but I am going to choose MSUCOM.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION! I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited:
Congrats! Don't worry about not clicking with the people on your interview day, I'm gonna be your classmate and I'm fun and nice!!!!! Haha
 
Hello everyone, after careful deliberation, and a long chat with my parents, I have decided to choose MSUCOM. To be honest, I really was going to pick KCU up until 2 days ago because 62k seemed like a lot of extra money I will have to pay back, and so many people always say that we should go to the cheapest school. However, my parents convinced me to pick MSUCOM, and said "don't worry about money, you won't have to pay the bank back, you can pay us back". It is without a question that I will do research at medical school, and I can't imagine how hellish life would be for someone who constantly procrastinates when that person tries to do research on top of the KCU curriculum. Additionally, even though I absolutely want to do my residency near the coast, maybe 3 years down the line, MSUCOM will give me a good opportunity to choose between a competitive specialty that I love in Michigan versus a non-competitive specialty near the coast, then maybe I will change my mind. KCU is truly wonderful, but I am going to choose MSUCOM.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION! I AM GOING TO BE A DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited::soexcited:

Woohoo!!!!!!! Soo happy and excited for you!!!! You and @femmegoblue stay on SDN and keep in touch!!
 
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