pulling the trigger on MSUCOM?

[488677]

friends,

let me preface this post by saying that i am sorry if you already endured my pre-medical inquires/worries in the past. SDN has proven to be an excellent medical community for me (most of the time) and has provided me with TONS of useful information.

i was recently accepted to MSUCOM (very, very, very pumped) and am debating on whether or not to send in my $1050 eek deposit. i have two state MD schools (each less than 8 years old) to which i am confident i will be admitted, but IMO MSUCOM's rotation sites, reputation, OPTIs, and first choice match rates (>90%) make MSUCOM seem like a much better school than the other schools to which i applied.

i am unfortunately interested in nearly all the competitive residences (and trust me when i tell you--from the bottom of my heart--that i hope my interest changes in medical school): general surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, ortho, and EM.

-i don't care about the two letters after my name.
-i am not at all a fan of research and plan on doing the bare minimum to land a residency.
-i don't care about landing a "prestigious" residency...as long as i am board certified afterward.
-as of now, the only fellowship i am POSSIBLY interested is a CT fellowship after g-surg.
-i want to practice in Michigan.

tuition is not a factor; i have it covered.


MSUCOM is so appealing to me because of all the AOA residencies MSUCOM sponsors at their 23 base hospitals that i will be rotating through. i am under the impression that as long as i do well on my boards/grades/rotations, i will have the opportunity to land the residency that i want. i know that NO medical school limits your specialty, i just think the opportunities that MSUCOM offers far outweigh all the opportunities the other schools that i applied to have to offer.


what do you guys think? am i missing something here? any cons of MSUCOM (other than tuition) that i am missing?

any insight is appreciated.

thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rzoo14]

friends,

let me preface this post by saying that i am sorry if you already endured my pre-medical inquires/worries in the past. SDN has proven to be an excellent medical community for me (most of the time) and has provided me with TONS of useful information.

i was recently accepted to MSUCOM (very, very, very pumped) and am debating on whether or not to send in my $1050 eek deposit. i have two state MD schools (each less than 8 years old) to which i am confident i will be admitted, but IMO MSUCOM's rotation sites, reputation, OPTIs, and first choice match rates (>90%) make MSUCOM seem like a much better school than the other schools to which i applied.

i am unfortunately interested in nearly all the competitive residences (and trust me when i tell you--from the bottom of my heart--that i hope my interest changes in medical school): general surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, ortho, and EM.

-i don't care about the two letters after my name.
-i am not at all a fan of research and plan on doing the bare minimum to land a residency.
-i don't care about landing a "prestigious" residency...as long as i am board certified afterward.
-as of now, the only fellowship i am POSSIBLY interested is a CT fellowship after g-surg.
-i want to practice in Michigan.

tuition is not a factor; i have it covered.


MSUCOM is so appealing to me because of all the AOA residencies MSUCOM sponsors at their 23 base hospitals that i will be rotating through. i am under the impression that as long as i do well on my boards/grades/rotations, i will have the opportunity to land the residency that i want. i know that NO medical school limits your specialty, i just think the opportunities that MSUCOM offers far outweigh all the opportunities the other schools that i applied to have to offer.


what do you guys think? am i missing something here? any cons of MSUCOM (other than tuition) that i am missing?

any insight is appreciated.

thanks!

sounds like you have it figured out. You want MSUCOM. Go for it. When is the deposit due?

 

[488677]

sounds like you have it figured out. You want MSUCOM. Go for it. When is the deposit due?

December 1st or 2nd...so i have some time to think about it.

i really do think i have it decided, but it feels weird making a decision this early without hearing the cons. i personally haven't been able to think of any for my situation. i was hoping to hear the opinions of others.

 

[rzoo14]

Have you received interviews at the instate MD schools? I would say attend their interviews before you make your final decision.

 

[MedPR]

Seems like you've done a thorough comparison of MSU and the other schools you applied to. Go for it.

 

[488677]

Have you received interviews at the instate MD schools? I would say attend their interviews before you make your final decision.

one of the schools is my undergraduate university's medical school. having done 3 (grueling) years of research in the medical school with medical school professors/administrators and medical students, i am fairly well-informed on their program. they are HUGE on primary care and only sponsor 3 residencies in FM, IM, and pediatrics. i got love for primary care...but it doesn't particularly interest me as of now. they also do rotations at community hospitals in very rural areas of the state. after touring Sparrow Hospital (large community hospital heavily affiliated with MSUCOM) last week, i think the rotation sites of MSUCOM are more appealing to me.

the other instate MD medical school has a similar rotation situation. one of their rotations is at a prison scared, and to be honest, i would ABSOLUTELY HATE having to do my base rotation at a prison.

 

[MedPR]

one of the schools is my undergraduate university's medical school. having done 3 (grueling) years of research in the medical school with medical school professors/administrators and medical students, i am fairly well-informed on their program. they are HUGE on primary care and only sponsor 3 residencies in FM, IM, and pediatrics. i got love for primary care...but it doesn't particularly interest me as of now. they also do rotations at community hospitals in very rural areas of the state. after touring Sparrow Hospital (large community hospital heavily affiliated with MSUCOM) last week, i think the rotation sites of MSUCOM are more appealing to me.

the other instate MD medical school has a similar rotation situation. one of their rotations is at a prison scared, and to be honest, i would ABSOLUTELY HATE having to do my base rotation at a prison.

I'm not saying it's something I want to do, but I think it would be exciting!

 

[Mbeas]

send in the deposit. you could always change your mind.

 

[rzoo14]

I'm not saying it's something I want to do, but I think it would be exciting!

It does sound exciting but I would be scared of a Prison Break scene happening.

 

[488677]

I'm not saying it's something I want to do, but I think it would be exciting!

...said the future proctologist/colon-rectal surgeon

 

[Goro]

Bird in the hand...

friends,

let me preface this post by saying that i am sorry if you already endured my pre-medical inquires/worries in the past. SDN has proven to be an excellent medical community for me (most of the time) and has provided me with TONS of useful information.

i was recently accepted to MSUCOM (very, very, very pumped) and am debating on whether or not to send in my $1050 eek deposit. i have two state MD schools (each less than 8 years old) to which i am confident i will be admitted, but IMO MSUCOM's rotation sites, reputation, OPTIs, and first choice match rates (>90%) make MSUCOM seem like a much better school than the other schools to which i applied.

i am unfortunately interested in nearly all the competitive residences (and trust me when i tell you--from the bottom of my heart--that i hope my interest changes in medical school): general surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, ortho, and EM.

-i don't care about the two letters after my name.
-i am not at all a fan of research and plan on doing the bare minimum to land a residency.
-i don't care about landing a "prestigious" residency...as long as i am board certified afterward.
-as of now, the only fellowship i am POSSIBLY interested is a CT fellowship after g-surg.
-i want to practice in Michigan.

tuition is not a factor; i have it covered.


MSUCOM is so appealing to me because of all the AOA residencies MSUCOM sponsors at their 23 base hospitals that i will be rotating through. i am under the impression that as long as i do well on my boards/grades/rotations, i will have the opportunity to land the residency that i want. i know that NO medical school limits your specialty, i just think the opportunities that MSUCOM offers far outweigh all the opportunities the other schools that i applied to have to offer.


what do you guys think? am i missing something here? any cons of MSUCOM (other than tuition) that i am missing?

any insight is appreciated.

thanks!

 

[Mountaineer12]

It seems like the only reason you wouldn't pick MSUCOM is a chance that getting an MD would help with a competitive residency, which may be true but you never know what you'll be interested in when you get there and it's not like these fields would be impossible as a DO. You'll have to work hard to get into them whether you're getting an MD or a DO degree.

 

[DrBowtie]

Right now you don't have any choices. Send in your deposit at the deadline to see if other acceptances roll in.

 

[488677]

It seems like the only reason you wouldn't pick MSUCOM is a chance that getting an MD would help with a competitive residency, which may be true but you never know what you'll be interested in when you get there and it's not like these fields would be impossible as a DO. You'll have to work hard to get into them whether you're getting an MD or a DO degree.

to be honest, i don't really care about the DO or MD degree; they are simply letters to me.

as long as i am given the resources to pursue a residency of my liking, i will be happy. i would actually prefer to pursue a residency at a community hospital rather than an academic hospital--did i mention that i hate research?

when choosing my medical school, i am not considering DO and MD schools separately. i feel that MSUCOM, given their high OPTIs, 23 hospital affiliations, reputation, alumni network, and rotation sites, makes it a superior school to my instate MD schools. i feel that it would provide me with more opportunities to land a competitive specialty compared to my instate MD schools (which i've mentioned do not sponsor residencies or offer rotations that are appealing to me).

to be honest, a DO vs MD thread on this site has somewhat shaken up my confidence in the MSUCOM program, but again, i understand those debates are usually filled with ignorance and misinterpretation of data (on both the DO and MD side). however, all the facts and attributes about MSUCOM (1.5 ratio of AOA residencies to MSUCOM students, 97% first choice residency match rate, 23 SCS hospital affiliation, DMC affiliation, strong Sparrow Hospital affiliation, OPTI in nearly every specialty, Big 10 research opportunities), just make this school seem to be a no-brainer choice.

i'm looking for someone to play devil's advocate with this school because so far, i have yet to hear any cons other than OOS tuition...but tuition is something that i have taken care of.

 

[GypsyHummus]

to be honest, i don't really care about the DO or MD degree; they are simply letters to me.

as long as i am given the resources to pursue a residency of my liking, i will be happy. i would actually prefer to pursue a residency at a community hospital rather than an academic hospital--did i mention that i hate research?

when choosing my medical school, i am not considering DO and MD schools separately. i feel that MSUCOM, given their high OPTIs, 23 hospital affiliations, reputation, alumni network, and rotation sites, makes it a superior school to my instate MD schools. i feel that it would provide me with more opportunities to land a competitive specialty compared to my instate MD schools (which i've mentioned do not sponsor residencies or offer rotations that are appealing to me).

to be honest, a DO vs MD thread on this site has somewhat shaken up my confidence in the MSUCOM program, but again, i understand those debates are usually filled with ignorance and misinterpretation of data (on both the DO and MD side). however, all the facts and attributes about MSUCOM (1.5 ratio of AOA residencies to MSUCOM students, 97% first choice residency match rate, 23 SCS hospital affiliation, DMC affiliation, strong Sparrow Hospital affiliation, OPTI in nearly every specialty, Big 10 research opportunities), just make this school seem to be a no-brainer choice.

i'm looking for someone to play devil's advocate with this school because so far, i have yet to hear any cons other than OOS tuition...but tuition is something that i have taken care of.

MSUCOM is one of the best medical schools in the country, MD or DO, especially in primary care. (Always ranked in the top 20 primary care, ranked 7th last year). Arguably the best osteopathic school and in my option, the only school on par with the MD schools in terms of alum and research.

It is the only DO school to have brand name (besides maybe Ohio), and that name will carry alot of weight, should you decide to go the allopathic residency route. Michigan State is known for their amazing DO school, even moreso than their MD school.

Be proud you got into one of the best medical schools in the country. Go for it man, and go spartans!

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

You're going to MSUCOM as an OOS student? Good for you man. it would definitely be in my top 3 for the future for when I apply but I just can't seem to justify that outrageous tuition. If you can do it, more power to you. Pull the trigger, it's clearly where you want to be. Congrats man!

 

[488677]

MSUCOM is one of the best medical schools in the country, MD or DO, especially in primary care. (Always ranked in the top 20 primary care, ranked 7th last year). Arguably the best osteopathic school and in my option, the only school on par with the MD schools in terms of alum and research.

It is the only DO school to have brand name (besides maybe Ohio), and that name will carry alot of weight, should you decide to go the allopathic residency route. Michigan State is known for their amazing DO school, even moreso than their MD school.

Be proud you got into one of the best medical schools in the country. Go for it man, and go spartans!

i appreciate the kind words; i really am very proud to get into such a great medical school.

i applied to MSU CHM (great school), too, but i think MSUCOM will better help me achieve my career goals.

it was also really cool when i was visiting MSU last week. when i was asking the undergraduates about MSU's medical school, they had nothing but good things to say about MSUCOM. the one's i talked to recognized MSUCOM as MSU's medical school, and a lot of them even bragged about it being a top 20 medical school. it's awesome to know that the school has such strong support for MSUCOM. it was also cool seeing the MSU bookstore nearly sold out of MSUCOM shirts.

 

[488677]

You're going to MSUCOM as an OOS student? Good for you man. it would definitely be in my top 3 for the future for when I apply but I just can't seem to justify that outrageous tuition. If you can do it, more power to you. Pull the trigger, it's clearly where you want to be. Congrats man!

thanks, dude.

yea, OOS tuition is a pretty scary thing. however, MSUCOM has been more than willing to help me out once they learned how in love i was with their program. they directed me to a webpage with 100s (no joke) of scholarship options for me. plus, i have financial aid and my undergraduate university is giving me a medical school scholarship for MSUCOM because of my undergraduate research.

i am predicting ( ) i'll end up with a tuition around IS.

i really am absolutely in love with this school; i simply cannot find anything wrong with it outside the MD vs DO debates that are found in the deepest, darkest corners of SDN. even the most ignorant pre-meds, MD fanboys, and AOA worshipers laugh recognize MSUCOM as a powerhouse medical school for both primary care and specializing.

thanks for all the advice, everyone!

 

[Beandog]

You're going to MSUCOM as an OOS student? Good for you man. it would definitely be in my top 3 for the future for when I apply but I just can't seem to justify that outrageous tuition. If you can do it, more power to you. Pull the trigger, it's clearly where you want to be. Congrats man!

I'm with you, I'd go MSU if I could. I rank it as a top DO school - but 80K for 1st year tuition?!

If the OP isn't concerned/has finances covered, go for it.

 

[488677]

I'm with you, I'd go MSU if I could. I rank it as a top DO school - but 80K for 1st year tuition?!

If the OP isn't concerned/has finances covered, go for it.

yea, i am very glad i took the time to research this school. while i know it is ultimately up to me to produce board scores and favorable rotation impressions, the fact that MSUCOM sponsors several competitive specialties (in which i am unfortunately interested) surely helps.

i am also very impressed with how many DO orthopedic surgeons practice at stellar hospitals in Michigan. i am beginning to think there are absolutely no cons to MSUCOM--at least in my case .

 

[HipChick]

DO IT!! Then invite me for a visit when I apply next year

I'm a MSU alum so I love it. Michigan is very DO friendly and as you've seen great match numbers and great clerkship sites! I often host students from msu through genesys and McLaren here in flint!