OSU vs. WSU COM

[seaofterra]

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Hi all, I would appreciate some guidance. I am deciding between two schools: Ohio State University COM and Washington State University COM. I was taken off the waitlist at both schools, so I could not go to second looks at either. This makes it such a hard decision. I am trying to pick the best school for me and my future career, I feel OSU will open more doors but I might be happier in my home state school. At both schools will be doing rural medicine, which is my long term goal.

OSU COM
Pros:
+ Has prestige admit.org top 26, and history
+ Lecture is optional and recorded
+ Very nice facilities and equipment.
+ P/F pre-clin (clinical is P/F, but is ranked and AOA).
+ In-state tuition after MS1, however, students say this is difficult to establish and easy to mess up.
+ Super community-oriented.
+ Student-run free clinics
+ Will do final two years in a rural setting and focus on community and rural medicine, my long-term goal
and small clinical class size
+cheaper Rent
+great research
+stronger match

Cons:
-Out-of-State will have to find my bearings in a new part of the country
-no scholarship
-no support system
-doesn't seem non-trad friendly
-AOA
-Ranked Clinical
-Large preclinical class size
-politically opposed to home state
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WSU COM

Pros
+In-state
+Rural focused in all aspects of the program, my long-term goal
+different pre- and clinical campuses
+See the whole state
+Community hospital system
+Logitudinal Clerkship, my opportunity to integrate knowledge
+close to home
+love the PNW, and I have a good support system here
+P/F pre-clin
+very small class size
+even smaller clinical class size
+regional match

cons
-no scholarship
-P/F/H Clinical
-Logitudinal Clerkship hard for shelf
-expensive rent for the clinical campus
-newer school, so way lower rank
-less research
-can be placed in the tri-cites (cancer)

 

[BigDawg101]

First of all, congrats on those options, and it's great to hear how passionate you are about rural medicine. I would try to estimate/breakdown COA at both schools as that would be helpful. Ohio State definitely has a strong name and is a well-known institution that would allow you to match into any specialty (I would say at the same level of places like UNC, Case Western, UVA, etc.). I think you have to factor in the cost difference (given your interest in rural/community medicine). I would not worry about the clinicals being pass/fail especially if you are interested in primary care. You should be able to match successfully at either place.

Personally, if the COA difference is under 50k, I would pick Ohio State, but if it's over 100k, I would go for WSU-SOM. Research and rank should not be deciding factors, but the quality of clinical training at a place like Ohio State and strong community focus are definitely worth paying a little extra IMO. If you were a trad applicant, I would weigh the support system more heavily, but as a non-trad, I would not worry as much about the support system unless it's a SO/spouse, which I don't think you mentioned.

 

[boba_tea]

I'd go with OSU from the two but if you are living in Washington and you prefer to stay there then stay. Don't feel like you should go because of prestige.

 

[IHeal]

True Pass/Fail Preclinical: WSU’s pass/fail preclinical grading reduces stress

Statewide Connections: WSU’s multiple campuses building a network of contacts in rural and underserved areas.

Home State Advantage - Strong support system, critical for your happiness and better learning.

Small preclinical and even smaller clinical class sizes personalized learning environment vs large preclinical class at OSU

Research you can do at WSU too. Too much research eats into your study time. Not needed for non-academic career.