Slu vs. Mcw

[desibhai]

Hey everyone, looking for some advice. I just got accepted to SLU but I did a regional interview in San Fran so I don't really have a great feel for the school. Before this acceptance I was pretty much set on MCW. I understand that the school you choose depends on an individual basis but I would appreciate any insight you can offer.

thanks!

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[lrkoehle]

I was also accepted to SLU, and I would have gone there if my state school wasn't soooo much cheaper. The school itself is great (my brother-in-law's wife is about to graduate from there and she has loved it). Its pass/fail which is also nice. As for St. Louis, I have visited there numerous times and can tell you its a great city, so on those rare occasions where you have some spare time you'll find plenty to do. As for MCW, I don't know anything about the school or the location (although Wisconsin is not typically regarded as an ideal place), so I can't help you in that regard. These are all my opinions though, so to know for yourself, you'll have to go visit yourself. While you're there, check out the St. Louis Zoo (its free!).

 

[JJMrK]

I didn't actually visit either of these places, but I did get interviews at both so I've done a decent amount of research. Students at both seem to like their schools. MCW seems like it's really on the rise. I also feel like MCW is cheaper.

 

[Zarika]

I'm interested to see the results of this poll as well. I was accepted to both and I agree with JJMrk's post.

 

[MiniMoo]

I'm accepted at both schools and would probably choose MCW out of the 2 choices. I did like SLU's P/F grading more as well as their curriculum structure (I'm undecided about how I feel about MCW's move towards more PBL and the required "pathways"). But MCW is not only cheaper but I liked their campus a lot more, students seemed to be happier, the suburban surroundings are safe and affordable, and I can just see myself fitting in there more than at SLU. If you can afford a trip to visit SLU though, I would probably do that before making a decision. I think the administration are willing to work with you and put you in touch with current students if you wanted to sit in on classes or tour the campus.

 

[Appless]

MCW w/o question. ST louis is nice but the area is kinda meh. MCW is cheaper in the end which to me makes all the difference. I liked wisc actually so maybe im weird but mcw would be the easy choice for me.

 

[lrkoehle]

I can't believe people are honestly suggesting you choose MCW without even visiting SLU! C'mon people, its great if you love MCW and want to have its baby and hate/dislike SLU, but OP has never visited SLU. Choosing a med school is a completely subjective thing. I know there are schools that I interviewed at that other people absolutely love that didn't impress me at all, and I'm sure there are schools I loved that others disliked. The only way the OP can know for his/herself is to go visit. For all we know, for this particular person after visiting SLU there might not even be a question of where he/she wants to go, whether its SLU or not doesn't matter to me.

OP, go visit SLU. If you still can't decide, then let us know. Until then, you can't decide if a school is the right fit based on a regional interview and some pamphlet of information they give you.

 

[lrkoehle]

MCW is cheaper in the end which to me makes all the difference.

According to the MCW website the tuition and fees for 2009-2010 freshmen was about 43k for OOS (since OP did a SF regional interview for SLU we can assume he/she is not a Wisc. resident), and if I recall correctly SLU was like 45-46k. To me if SLU is a better fit at all this small difference is not worth choosing one school over another. Now if the difference was 20k per year (like the difference between SLU and my state school), then I would understand it playing a major role in your decision.

http://www.mcw.edu/medicalschool/docid646/TuitionandFees.htm

 

[BlueElmo]

I can't believe people are honestly suggesting you choose MCW without even visiting SLU! C'mon people, its great if you love MCW and want to have its baby and hate/dislike SLU, but OP has never visited SLU. Choosing a med school is a completely subjective thing. I know there are schools that I interviewed at that other people absolutely love that didn't impress me at all, and I'm sure there are schools I loved that others disliked. The only way the OP can know for his/herself is to go visit. For all we know, for this particular person after visiting SLU there might not even be a question of where he/she wants to go, whether its SLU or not doesn't matter to me.

OP, go visit SLU. If you still can't decide, then let us know. Until then, you can't decide if a school is the right fit based on a regional interview and some pamphlet of information they give you.

Very well said. I think the OP should visit SLU and see how he/she likes it. The OP might end up really liking the St.Louis area and/or the school itself, and that could mean the difference. I would say visit both schools again before deciding.

 

[Zarika]

According to the MCW website the tuition and fees for 2009-2010 freshmen was about 43k for OOS (since OP did a SF regional interview for SLU we can assume he/she is not a Wisc. resident), and if I recall correctly SLU was like 45-46k. To me if SLU is a better fit at all this small difference is not worth choosing one school over another. Now if the difference was 20k per year (like the difference between SLU and my state school), then I would understand it playing a major role in your decision.

http://www.mcw.edu/medicalschool/docid646/TuitionandFees.htm

But you're forgetting about other costs besides tuition.

MCW's COA is ~54K
http://www.mcw.edu/display/router.aspx?DocID=959

SLU's COA is ~67K
http://medschool.slu.edu/sfs/index.php?page=student-budget

That's not a huge difference per year, but over four years it's about 50K.

That being said, I voted that the OP should go visit SLU. I really liked both schools, and out of the two have probably picked MCW, but the OP shouldn't make that decision w/out seeing the school IMO.

 

[lrkoehle]

But you're forgetting about other costs besides tuition.

MCW's COA is ~54K
http://www.mcw.edu/display/router.aspx?DocID=959

SLU's COA is ~67K
http://medschool.slu.edu/sfs/index.php?page=student-budget

That's not a huge difference per year, but over four years it's about 50K.

That being said, I voted that the OP should go visit SLU. I really liked both schools, and out of the two have probably picked MCW, but the OP shouldn't make that decision w/out seeing the school IMO.

Tuition and fees are costs set in stone that students have to pay. Other stuff like rent is up to the student to decide how they want to live during medical school. I think it is very important to consider the different living costs in different cites though, so that is a very good point.

I do have one question, how is it that outside of tuition and fees MCW gives like 11k per year, while slu gives like 21-22k? Is the difference between living costs that much between the two? From everything I've gathered St. Louis has very reasonable cost of living, so I can't imagine the difference being accounted for by that. The two schools must have budgeted themselves differently for the COA estimates. Since COA determines how much federal loan money you can get (I think), it might be worthwhile to decide if you can live off of 11k per year in Milwaukee.

 

[alibai3ah]

I would also go with SLU, b/c I'm just completely turned off by the Wisconsin location....

 

[MiniMoo]

I would also go with SLU, b/c I'm just completely turned off by the Wisconsin location....

Yeah this just shows how individual location preferences can differ. I liked Wisc a lot more than I thought I would (and this is coming from someone who hates the cold) and definitely more than St. Louis. So, OP, I would try to visit SLU if you can to see for yourself.

 

[Zarika]

Tuition and fees are costs set in stone that students have to pay. Other stuff like rent is up to the student to decide how they want to live during medical school. I think it is very important to consider the different living costs in different cites though, so that is a very good point.

I do have one question, how is it that outside of tuition and fees MCW gives like 11k per year, while slu gives like 21-22k? Is the difference between living costs that much between the two? From everything I've gathered St. Louis has very reasonable cost of living, so I can't imagine the difference being accounted for by that. The two schools must have budgeted themselves differently for the COA estimates. Since COA determines how much federal loan money you can get (I think), it might be worthwhile to decide if you can live off of 11k per year in Milwaukee.

Yeah, I also have that concern. It's actually closer to ~14K per year rather than 11, but I still thought that was pretty stingy. I asked in the MCW 2014 tread and current students said it was okay, that it was completely livable. I think you're right that it does determine how much money you can borrow, so I'm a little concerned about that myself. I don't want to go there thinking it's cheaper, and then not have enough money to live on.

 

[desibhai]

thanks for all the responses! I guess the best thing to do would be to go visit SLU. But I am a little surprised by the poll results, where's the love for SLU?

 

[long]

It seems like a LOT of school comparison threads this year are MCW vs. XXX. I wonder why.

 

[OOOaF]

Being from WI, I have toured MCW quite a bit. The students have recently been frustrated with the cirriculum changes but overall are very happy with the program, but hopefully they will have improved it for the 2010 entering class. Ive only seen SLU on my interview date but I would rate the two very very very close. If I had been accepted to both I would have chosen MCW because I would be closer to family. However, I was only accepted to SLU. The more I read about SLU the more excited I am for it. I really think it is a coin flip decision unless you visit both campuses and get a feel for yourself.

 

[tonygno]

Hey all,

I don't mean to thread jack, but I was wondering if anyone can help me out. I was just excepted into both St. Louis University and the University of Toledo Med schools, and was looking for some advice from anyone on the two programs. Need to decide ASAP.. any advice will help.

Thanks guys!!

 

[tonygno]

Bump