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- May 4, 2016
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I made a post like this pre-interview at UNECOM. Now that I've attended the interview, I am extremely torn between the two. I have been accepted at RVU-CO. I am writing this as an IF I get into UNECOM post-II as you have to let them know fairly quickly, so I want to be prepared with my preferences.
It's such a hard decision and I'd love some peoples feedback given these factors.
RVU-CO
Pros
-Attendance is mostly not mandatory (except some guest lectures).
-Enrichment tracks (competitive but great if you get in), ultrasound program integrated into curriculum
-Higher first time pass-rate for COMLEX for the past few years, 100% match rate for 4 years, USMLE-1 required for all students.
-Recorded lectures
-While you can rotate pretty much all over if you want, a majority of third year clinical rotations are supposedly within about an hour of campus, minimizing moving which is important for both me and my partner. I can't find an RVUCOM clinical sites list...just what they told us at the interview. They emphasized that they are constantly trying to increase rotation sites nearby to students.
CONS
-The campus is extremely small. A single 3 story building, so it seemed limited in study space and ability to be on campus and do things. No cafeteria, no gym or rec facilities etc.
-It's far from /most/ of my family. I am from a nearby state, however most of my family is back east and my parents are planning to move back east.
-Research exists...but it seems extremely limited and difficult to find. The campus has no actual labs, but they seem to help you find off campus opportunities.
UNECOM
Pros
-Interested in potential dual MPH.
-SIGNIFICANTLY better facilities. It's not even comparable. The campus is way nicer and has much more to offer in regards to facilities. Part of this is because it is also an undergrad campus. This is neither a pro nor con to me, but does contribute to the larger campus. COM students seem to have some of their own spaces and not mind the undergrads. Beautiful campus.
-It is still far-ish from family, but MUCH closer than Colorado. An easy train ride or 1 hour flight would do the trick, making it much easier to visit them and for them to visit me. I know some people who live in Portland and a friend in Boston etc. This is part of what has me really torn.
-Plenty of research opportunities which I imagine helps with residencies.
-Easier to make connections and residency interviews on the east coast. Most are concerned back east (for what I'm interested in- and with either school I hope to do residency back east)
-When comparing interview days, UNECOM's was much more involved and organized. Every UNECOM person I've spoken to both on here and in person loved their choice. The students seemed like genuine family.
Cons
-Mandatory attendance seems to be the case for a majority of classes- though I think this is also why the class seems to feel like a close family. They have to actually show up. Curriculum and learning involves a decent amount of both solo work and working in groups. The administration has been very willing to work with students on this- but right now the future of it is up in the air. They want students to show up to build better connections with lectures who work for Maine Medical in Portland it seems.
-The compromise for semi-mandatory attendance is only posting audio lectures, instead of video. Again, they're still amending the attendance policy and recording policy. They are doing a great job compromising with the students, but it's also not clear what situation I'll be entering.
-This is a big one for me, ALL of the third year rotation sites are far away from campus. The closest rotation site is about 1.5 hours from the campus. They literally have zero rotations in the Portland area despite there being multiple hospital sites in Portland. Tufts has taken all of them for the Maine track. They also said their clinical sites change every year...this seems concerning to me that they're consistently changing clinical sites instead of keeping them.
Ultimately, I'm mostly torn because I loved the UNECOM campus, students seemed so happy, and it's easier to visit family from there, yet RVU-CO seemingly has more pros. Help
It's such a hard decision and I'd love some peoples feedback given these factors.
RVU-CO
Pros
-Attendance is mostly not mandatory (except some guest lectures).
-Enrichment tracks (competitive but great if you get in), ultrasound program integrated into curriculum
-Higher first time pass-rate for COMLEX for the past few years, 100% match rate for 4 years, USMLE-1 required for all students.
-Recorded lectures
-While you can rotate pretty much all over if you want, a majority of third year clinical rotations are supposedly within about an hour of campus, minimizing moving which is important for both me and my partner. I can't find an RVUCOM clinical sites list...just what they told us at the interview. They emphasized that they are constantly trying to increase rotation sites nearby to students.
CONS
-The campus is extremely small. A single 3 story building, so it seemed limited in study space and ability to be on campus and do things. No cafeteria, no gym or rec facilities etc.
-It's far from /most/ of my family. I am from a nearby state, however most of my family is back east and my parents are planning to move back east.
-Research exists...but it seems extremely limited and difficult to find. The campus has no actual labs, but they seem to help you find off campus opportunities.
UNECOM
Pros
-Interested in potential dual MPH.
-SIGNIFICANTLY better facilities. It's not even comparable. The campus is way nicer and has much more to offer in regards to facilities. Part of this is because it is also an undergrad campus. This is neither a pro nor con to me, but does contribute to the larger campus. COM students seem to have some of their own spaces and not mind the undergrads. Beautiful campus.
-It is still far-ish from family, but MUCH closer than Colorado. An easy train ride or 1 hour flight would do the trick, making it much easier to visit them and for them to visit me. I know some people who live in Portland and a friend in Boston etc. This is part of what has me really torn.
-Plenty of research opportunities which I imagine helps with residencies.
-Easier to make connections and residency interviews on the east coast. Most are concerned back east (for what I'm interested in- and with either school I hope to do residency back east)
-When comparing interview days, UNECOM's was much more involved and organized. Every UNECOM person I've spoken to both on here and in person loved their choice. The students seemed like genuine family.
Cons
-Mandatory attendance seems to be the case for a majority of classes- though I think this is also why the class seems to feel like a close family. They have to actually show up. Curriculum and learning involves a decent amount of both solo work and working in groups. The administration has been very willing to work with students on this- but right now the future of it is up in the air. They want students to show up to build better connections with lectures who work for Maine Medical in Portland it seems.
-The compromise for semi-mandatory attendance is only posting audio lectures, instead of video. Again, they're still amending the attendance policy and recording policy. They are doing a great job compromising with the students, but it's also not clear what situation I'll be entering.
-This is a big one for me, ALL of the third year rotation sites are far away from campus. The closest rotation site is about 1.5 hours from the campus. They literally have zero rotations in the Portland area despite there being multiple hospital sites in Portland. Tufts has taken all of them for the Maine track. They also said their clinical sites change every year...this seems concerning to me that they're consistently changing clinical sites instead of keeping them.
Ultimately, I'm mostly torn because I loved the UNECOM campus, students seemed so happy, and it's easier to visit family from there, yet RVU-CO seemingly has more pros. Help