RFUMS or EVMS SMP

[Adnap]

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Which SMP would you guys choose if you guys wanted to get into a MD program and eventually match into a California residency program? So far, it seems like the programs are almost the same except EVMS has a slightly higher percentage of students who matriculate into the medical school. It also has a smaller program.

What would you guys do if you had to make the same decision? I'd appreciate any and all input.

 

[DrMidlife]

I suggest that to choose between RFU & EVMS SMPs, given your top priority of a CA residency, you need to review the quality of the California residencies coming out of those med schools. Quantity of CA residencies gets you nowhere - there's no way to find out actual relevant stats. So: is there any Stanford/UCSF/UCLA/UCSD on those match lists? Mostly military/familymed/communitymed? Do you care? Look through the last few years. If you can't find match lists on the school website, you can find them on SDN. Regardless, you can't make predictions about how you will do based on what a match list shows - match lists just show you what other people have done from a school.

Also, pick some residencies in California in which you're interested, and run through their webpages. Some will show you where residents went to school, which can give you a sense of the diversity and tiered-ness of different programs.

Keeping your California resident status won't help you one bit with getting a residency in California. If you have history and family in California, you have ties. If you want a California residency, you need to plan on spending all your 4th year electives, early, doing audition rotations in California, and you need to kill the boards. Keeping your California resident status and not caring about OOS cost of attendance is just dumb.

Anything you can do, anything at all, to get in-state tuition at EVMS (if you choose EVMS) would be worth it. As in: fly there this weekend, sign a lease, change your drivers license, register to vote, and if you're making any money in 2012, pay VA state income tax. Go nuts to get VA residency. Why? EVMS OOS COA: 90k. Holy raging badgerffff.

Have you visited EVMS? The surrounding Ghent neighborhood is highly gentrified and quite lovely. The greater Norfolk area, if that's what you were looking at, has a great deal of poverty and has a mosaic urban plan, but Ghent is nice. As for diversity, EVMS doesn't even begin to mirror the Hampton Roads community, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if RFU is better in that regard.

Best of luck to you.

 

[soon2bedoctor]

When you look at those match lists, there is going to be a lot of selection bias present. RFU is much more urban, and thus, attracts a lot more OOS. Thus, those students will be more inclined to apply to OOS residency programs. I think you should choose EVMS. Like you said, its a smaller program with higher linkage. It also has a better reputation. I think EVMS, Gtown, and Cinci are the "Ivys" of the SMP programs. I applied to SMPs as well and didn't even apply to RFU because I felt that its results were unproven and not well documented.

 

[Adnap]

I suggest that to choose between RFU & EVMS SMPs, given your top priority of a CA residency, you need to review the quality of the California residencies coming out of those med schools. Quantity of CA residencies gets you nowhere - there's no way to find out actual relevant stats. So: is there any Stanford/UCSF/UCLA/UCSD on those match lists? Mostly military/familymed/communitymed? Do you care? Look through the last few years. If you can't find match lists on the school website, you can find them on SDN. Regardless, you can't make predictions about how you will do based on what a match list shows - match lists just show you what other people have done from a school.

Also, pick some residencies in California in which you're interested, and run through their webpages. Some will show you where residents went to school, which can give you a sense of the diversity and tiered-ness of different programs.

Keeping your California resident status won't help you one bit with getting a residency in California. If you have history and family in California, you have ties. If you want a California residency, you need to plan on spending all your 4th year electives, early, doing audition rotations in California, and you need to kill the boards. Keeping your California resident status and not caring about OOS cost of attendance is just dumb.

Anything you can do, anything at all, to get in-state tuition at EVMS (if you choose EVMS) would be worth it. As in: fly there this weekend, sign a lease, change your drivers license, register to vote, and if you're making any money in 2012, pay VA state income tax. Go nuts to get VA residency. Why? EVMS OOS COA: 90k. Holy raging badgerffff.

Have you visited EVMS? The surrounding Ghent neighborhood is highly gentrified and quite lovely. The greater Norfolk area, if that's what you were looking at, has a great deal of poverty and has a mosaic urban plan, but Ghent is nice. As for diversity, EVMS doesn't even begin to mirror the Hampton Roads community, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if RFU is better in that regard.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks DrMidLife. I understand that choosing a SMP/med school based on their match list is not wise. I just wanted to know from people who have experience with these programs which would give me a higher chance of matching back into CA. About what percentage of the students at EVMS are from California? I was just kind of curious to see how many are from California and how many of them match back into California (assuming they want to). Also, where can EVMS 4th years do rotations in CA? Is it likely that I'll be able to do my rotations back in CA if I choose to? Thanks in advance for your help.

I also understand that my chances of matching into a top CA program will mainly be based on my performance on the step 1 and my grades in the program. Also, just curious, does EVMS have AOA?

Besides the match results, are there any other factors that might lead one to choose EVMS over RFU or vice versa? Thanks!

 

[DrMidlife]

I just wanted to know from people who have experience with these programs which would give me a higher chance of matching back into CA.

There's no way to answer that. California has boatloads of residencies in every single specialty at all thresholds of pay/locale. 31 IM programs alone. If you match family med in Arrowhead will you be happy? Psych in Bakersfield? Kaiser Fontana IM? Or by "California" do you mean a coastal metro area, in a ROADE specialty?

Point being, if you haven't figured this stuff out, you're way ahead of yourself in trying to gauge your residency chances at the SMP gateway.

About what percentage of the students at EVMS are from California?

Maybe 10%.

I was just kind of curious to see how many are from California and how many of them match back into California (assuming they want to)..

There's no info on that. No idea.

Also, where can EVMS 4th years do rotations in CA? Is it likely that I'll be able to do my rotations back in CA if I choose to?

Not rotations. Audition rotations. Also called "away rotations" or "elective rotations". You are on your own to pursue them, during 4th year, as electives. You only get to do a couple. These are what you do to maximize your chances at your top choices.

Also, just curious, does EVMS have AOA?

Yes.

You realize you're asking these questions about EVMS but not about RFU?

Besides the match results, are there any other factors that might lead one to choose EVMS over RFU or vice versa? Thanks!

When I was making this choice, I read every single post in every single relevant SDN thread. I read everything on school websites and trolled through student newsletters. I strongly suggest that you should be focusing on what program maximizes your chances of going to med school and educate yourself about residency as a completely separate thing.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Adnap]

You realize you're asking these questions about EVMS but not about RFU?

Haha yeah I do realize that DrMidLife. I was actually targeting those questions towards you and I know you're currently at EVMS. So far, it seems like EVMS is probably the better choice.

I called campus housing and they told me that there's a very slim chance of getting on campus housing at this point. I tried to look around for close apartments but didn't have too much luck. Are there any apartment complexes nearby (walking distance) that you would recommend that would have garaged parking? Is having a car recommended?

Thanks!

 

[DrMidlife]

Haha yeah I do realize that DrMidLife. I was actually targeting those questions towards you and I know you're currently at EVMS. So far, it seems like EVMS is probably the better choice.

I called campus housing and they told me that there's a very slim chance of getting on campus housing at this point. I tried to look around for close apartments but didn't have too much luck. Are there any apartment complexes nearby (walking distance) that you would recommend that would have garaged parking? Is having a car recommended?

Thanks!

The regular EVMS thread in this forum has a ton of info on housing.

During the med masters you would have no school-based need for a car.

 

[Unzbuzzled]

They're both great programs with great linkages. I went to RFU because I'm from the Milwaukee area. I got into CMS at RFU through the BMS program last year, as did everyone who got at least Bs in BMS (and some people who only got one C).

Not too sure about EVMS, but it does have a historically high linkage, which is always a plus.

RFU CMS has a great linkage (Usually +80%) as well. I think it's second only to EVMS, and it's not that far behind their linkage numbers. BMS is also a larger program, so there's a lot of support from other students and the administrative staff.

There are a LOT of californians here for whatever reason, probably second only to IL residents. This might be true at EVMS too, because I understand it's really hard to get into Cali MD schools.

CMS also has amazing rotations in downtown Chicago alongside students from UIC, U of C, and Rush and it has rotations at the old cook county hospital which is great for residency placement (especially EM, which is what I want to do). That and Chicago has a lot more to offer than Norfolk for 3rd and 4th year in my opinion.

I will say that DrMidlife has a point about the linkage. She is actually the reason why I went with RFU over all the other SMPs. I just decided that I'd rather move 40 min away from home instead of across the country for EVMS. Both programs will make you a doctor if you are willing to work hard, but to me, RFU has the advantage as far as clinical years, location, and setting up a good residency.

 

[JoyantBuoyant]

EVMS > RFUMS ? I understand they both are great programs, and I've been doing some digging and saw these are both better then BU ?? Am i correct on my research ?

 

[Pokemon Master]

EVMS > RFUMS ? I understand they both are great programs, and I've been doing some digging and saw these are both better then BU ?? Am i correct on my research ?

Yes, oranges are better than apples.