SHSU COM vs. TuCOM-Harlem

[essdeeenaccount]

SHSU COM (TMDSAS pre-match)
Pros:
- Inexpensive (by medical school standards). ~$26k/year in Conroe, TX which has a pretty low cost of living
- Beautiful campus and students have a pretty tight-knit community
- Near big-name research institutions (Baylor, UT Health, MD Anderson, Methodist). I've worked in a lab at one of these and I have a standing offer to continue research with them if I attend SHSU.
- Solid board pass rate
Cons:
- Have not yet graduated a class
- No idea what the match list is going to be like
- 3rd and 4th year clincal rotations seem like kind of a nightmare and it's functionally a lottery where you end up
- I do not like living in Houston
- Focus on rural health which I am not about
- OMS-1 required attendance

TuCOM Harlem
Pros:
- NYC! I'm super interested in working with the urban underserved and this is the perfect location
- Solid DO match list
- Can do research at neighboring institutions
Cons:
- Clinical years sound somewhat disorganized
- Administration seems sketchy
- Low COMLEX-II pass rate?
- EXPENSIVE and high cost of living

I prematched to SHSU (and I won't know if I match into my 2 MD interviews in TX until Feb) and I am deciding if it is worth it to send in the HEFTY $2k deposit for TuCOM-Harlem.

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[Snoozles]

It seems like they have the same Cons but TuCom has additional factors that would tip the scales even more with the low pass rates and expensive COA. If your goal is to work with urban underserved, SHSU may not match that exactly, but you can always seek out residencies with those qualities. The first two years of med school will be primarily classroom learning so your campus location is slightly less important. Of course, the unknown match rate is a big enigma, but if you have some connections in the TMC that you can take advantage of for networking, I think that mitigates your risk a little bit.

Personally, the lower debt load would sway me toward SHSU pending hearing back from your MD interviews.