OU OKC COM VS OU Tulsa SCM (Oklahoma)

[amy16084]

Hi all!

I was recently accepted to both the OU OKC and OU Tulsa campus. I am so happy to have been offered this opportunity at both campuses.

I have been dreading choosing between the OKC and Tulsa campus for fall 2024. I am Tulsa born and raised. I then later attended OU for undergrad.

I love Tulsa.
1. Culinary Medicine
2. LIC rotations for MS3/MS4
3. Working in St.Francis, St. John’s, Hillcrest, and OU
4. Bedlam Clinic - having my own patient panel
5. Physician and medical school student mentors
6. Beautiful campus
7. Establish connection base
8. Guaranteed Research Opportunities
9. Classes exposing students to the social detriments of health and the healthcare landscape of Oklahoma

Cons
1. Small Class Size
2. Being so near my family

OKC Pros
1. Large class size
2. Friends in the area
3. Independence
4. New city/area to explore
5. Form new connections

OKC Cons:
1. Campus is outdated

To me Tulsa seems like the better option, although I would love to choose OKC to be near my friends.

I would love some advice on choosing between the campuses. Does OKC offer me the ability to find similar opportunities found at Tulsa?

1. Will I be able have my own patient panel and rotate through major hospital systems?

One sentence summary:

The Tulsa campus resides in my community near my family with a small class size of less than 30 people.

The OU OKC campus is connected with the OU health systems which is a large research/teaching based hospital exposing medical students to multiple specialties.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wysdoc]

You may have to wait a few days for responses to your question, since the message board is pretty quiet over the holiday week.

Both your options seem viable and a good fit for you. Your pros/cons suggest you are ready to be more independent from your immediate family - if choosing OKC will give you a chance to build independence it could be good for you.

 

[amy16084]

You may have to wait a few days for responses to your question, since the message board is pretty quiet over the holiday week.

Both your options seem viable and a good fit for you. Your pros/cons suggest you are ready to be more independent from your immediate family - if choosing OKC will give you a chance to build independence it could be good for you.

Thank you for your reply and insight! I have until 12/29 to decide 😓. I’ll definitely consider my relationship with my family and how I see it impacting my next four years! I plan to live alone in either city )

 

[MCAThiccy]

I think Tulsa would be your best option. You seem happier listing off the pros. A small class size can be a good thing (more chances to make friends and have a close knit family atmosphere). Establishing boundaries with your family is a possibility.

 

[amy16084]

I think Tulsa would be your best option. You seem happier listing off the pros. A small class size can be a good thing (more chances to make friends and have a close knit0family atmosphere). Establishing boundaries with your family is a possibility.

Thank you for your response! I’m definitely conflicted, the small class size can be good. I want to choose okc but maybe Tulsa is better…

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Can your family respect your boundaries if you have to study or work? You list many more pluses for staying near home.

I am sure you will find your way to visit OKC during your training. Question is living there and its effects on your COA debt.

Cheaper and happier is better.

 

[amy16084]

Can your family respect your boundaries if you have to study or work? You list many more pluses for staying near home.

I am sure you will find your way to visit OKC during your training. Question is living there and its effects on your COA debt.

Cheaper and happier is better.

Unfortunately, my family has no boundaries so regardless of the city, I have to move out.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Unfortunately, my family has no boundaries so regardless of the city, I have to move out.

Is the OKC the home campus where you see your professors in lectures? I think you would wind up doing rotations statewide, right? Would you access lectures by webstream if you were in Tulsa?

You say you will likely get stronger mentoring at Tulsa. Could this balance out the family issues?

 

[amy16084]

Is the OKC the home campus where you see your professors in lectures? I think you would wind up doing rotations statewide, right? Would you access lectures by webstream if you were in Tulsa?

You say you will likely get stronger mentoring at Tulsa. Could this balance out the family issues?

OKC is the home campus. 70% of the lectures are done in OKC and recorded, 30% are done in Tulsa. Tulsa has professors for all the subjects so we can still seek one-on-one help. The OKC professors tend to have zoom office hours too to make it more accessible.

Okc provides me with a second year medical school mentor. Tulsa provides me with MS2 mentor and a physician mentor.

Rotations at Tulsa I believe occur in the OU physician clinics and in the 3 other major hospital systems. MS3 and MS4 students are assigned a patient panel at the free bedlam clinic while still doing rotations.

Specific selectives can be done at OKC since the Tulsa campus is primary care based. I have always been passionate about primary care but I would like exposure to specialized care.

Rotations in OKC only occur in the OU teaching hospitals.

 

[TheGhostOfBobStoops]

Sup OP, I thought I'd chime in since I know you may have not made your decision yet.
Speaking from first hand experience, I think you need to way the cons of OKC-Tulsa (e.g., far less research and scholarly activities, inability to rotate at OU Medicine in OKC, small class size) and see if the pros of Tulsa make it worth it.

While you can absolutely apply to competitive specialties as an OU-Tulsa grad, you WILL be closing doors. For example, if you want to do something like, ENT, NYSG, ophthalmology, or orthopedics, you'll be fighting an uphill battle. These fields are already competitive enough for OU-OKC kids; being at OU-Tulsa puts you at an inherent disadvantage here. You won't have the mentors/connections, research opportunities, or proximity to other opportunities at OU-Tulsa to set yourself up for residency applications if you want to do something more competitive. For example, OU has a top ophthalmology program in the nation so it's OKC students can get access to nationally recognized faculty, some impressive research projects, and hands-on ophthalmology training in OKC through MS2 events, shadowing, volunteering, and obviously the MS3 rotation.

Second, I think you should think about your priorities more. Things like Culinary Medicine, campus beauty, and classes exploring health disparities will NOT matter once you start medical school. The most important things to consider for any premed applicant are: Culture (OU and OU-Tulsa have great cultures), cost of living (seems like Tulsa has the edge here if you don't have to pay for rent), cost of attendance, strength of training (OU is better than OU-Tulsa here), and things like quality of the city, support network and friend group, availability of research and mentorship, dating scene, etc.

I'm not trying to dog on OU-Tulsa; I have a lot of friends who are currently there and they love their classmates, mentors, and the city of Tulsa. It seems like a really chill place. But most people who get accepted to OU end up going to OKC for a reason. I'd recommend you reach out to current OU-Tulsa MS3 and MS4s and talk to them about their experiences because I'm obviously biased. At the end of the day, I'd only recommend going to OU-Tulsa if you are absolutely certain you don't want to pursue any speciality that would make you regret going to OU-Tulsa

 

[amy16084]

Sup OP, I thought I'd chime in since I know you may have not made your decision yet.
Speaking from first hand experience, I think you need to way the cons of OKC-Tulsa (e.g., far less research and scholarly activities, inability to rotate at OU Medicine in OKC, small class size) and see if the pros of Tulsa make it worth it.

While you can absolutely apply to competitive specialties as an OU-Tulsa grad, you WILL be closing doors. For example, if you want to do something like, ENT, NYSG, ophthalmology, or orthopedics, you'll be fighting an uphill battle. These fields are already competitive enough for OU-OKC kids; being at OU-Tulsa puts you at an inherent disadvantage here. You won't have the mentors/connections, research opportunities, or proximity to other opportunities at OU-Tulsa to set yourself up for residency applications if you want to do something more competitive. For example, OU has a top ophthalmology program in the nation so it's OKC students can get access to nationally recognized faculty, some impressive research projects, and hands-on ophthalmology training in OKC through MS2 events, shadowing, volunteering, and obviously the MS3 rotation.

Second, I think you should think about your priorities more. Things like Culinary Medicine, campus beauty, and classes exploring health disparities will NOT matter once you start medical school. The most important things to consider for any premed applicant are: Culture (OU and OU-Tulsa have great cultures), cost of living (seems like Tulsa has the edge here if you don't have to pay for rent), cost of attendance, strength of training (OU is better than OU-Tulsa here), and things like quality of the city, support network and friend group, availability of research and mentorship, dating scene, etc.

I'm not trying to dog on OU-Tulsa; I have a lot of friends who are currently there and they love their classmates, mentors, and the city of Tulsa. It seems like a really chill place. But most people who get accepted to OU end up going to OKC for a reason. I'd recommend you reach out to current OU-Tulsa MS3 and MS4s and talk to them about their experiences because I'm obviously biased. At the end of the day, I'd only recommend going to OU-Tulsa if you are absolutely certain you don't want to pursue any speciality that would make you regret going to OU-Tulsa

Hi! Thank you so much for your response. I agree with everything you said.

I ended up choosing OKC on 12/29