SHSU vs KCUCOM Joplin

[avengerlily]

Hi, I'm having trouble choosing between these two schools. I haven't had an acceptance to shsu yet, but the interview went well, so I want to get an idea of which school to choose if that acceptance does come in.

SHSU
Pros

• Cheap tuition ~26.5k per year
• 3 hour drive from home (Dallas)
• Near significant other and family

Cons

• Not a strong muslim community as I'm used to
• Newer school
• I'm not sure whether I want to stay in Texas for residency.
• Significant other also applying to med school next year and may end up out of state since Texas admissions have gotten really competitive even for in state.

 KCUCOM
Pros

• Twin sister also got accepted here, so cost of living is lower
• More established school with connections all over the US
• Muslim community is very supportive and well connected
• Dual degree programs and other opportunities to beef my resume up for residency apps

Cons

• 5 hour drive from home and far from family and SO
• Expensive tuition (~56k)

NOTES: while I'm open to exploring other specialities, my inspiration for becoming a doctor has been to be an OBGYN in the future. So that would also be factored into my decision making.

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[chilly_md]

It is hard to beat that lower tuition at SHSU honestly. You would be able to leave the state for residency still. If your SO is a TX resident, they are unlikely to get an out of state MD acceptance unless they have a very strong app with high stats since most schools know TX residents prefer to stay in-state. DO could be anywhere, though both TCOM and SHSU have the strong advantage of cheap tuition unless you hope that they also get a KCU acceptance so all 3 of you will be there.