UMSOM versus VTCSOM

[Conflicted_Contradiction]

I am lucky to have acceptances at both programs but am very conflicted as to which program to choose:

my interest lies in Surgery so I will be looking at competitive residency spots and I want to know which school will set me up better for success.
Both have strong match lists in surgery as far as i can tell. I am a maryland resident: but for the purposes of this discussion please ignore support system proximity, cost, or living area: just which school will set me up the best for a surgical residency (specifically interested in cardiac surgery/ cardiothoracic surgery as of right now).

VTC:
has high step scores
small class size so better faculty relationships - LOR, etc.
NBME exam format
P/F grading first two years (I don't know if this is good or bad for competitive apps so if someone can tell me)
but they have longer mandatory lectures, not ranked as high and are relatively new

UMSOM
tiered grading (again more stress but better for standing out?) - do preclinical grades matter as long as i dont fail?
large class size
I do have some connections in the hospital system there already
reputable T30 school
professor written exams not NBME
average step scores
have a strong surgical program already
in-state tuition (total COA per year is about 30k cheaper per year)

I am very confused and have only a few days to decide so any help would help a lot thanks!

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[pre-spring]

Not related to the post, but did you get off the waitlist at VTC recently?

 

[Conflicted_Contradiction]

Not related to the post, but did you get off the waitlist at VTC recently?

yeah last Tuesday I believe

 

[chilly_md]

Maryland. I am not aware of any particular advantage that VTC would provide for surgical specialties aside from the research that is incorporated into the curriculum. And you could find research at Maryland with it being the only public institution for the state.

 

[theoceanman]

UMSOM > VTCSOM

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

I'll take a contrarian perspective.

The preclinical grading scheme at Maryland is pretty harsh...IIRC it's graded (essentially A, B, C F). At VTC, it's P/F preclinical, but they offer letters of distinction to a small/moderate percentage of the class that can help you stand out. Lower stress for sure at VTC.

In-house exams at UM make things more difficult. You have to study for those and then additional study of NBME style questions for STEP. It's not as efficient.

Consider also, what's going on at VTC to drive those high average step scores? Last I remember, VTC punches well above its weight on STEP2.

And then there is class size. VTC is like 48 students or something like that. The personal attention and opportunities for mentoring, research, ERAS prep, etc. is great. Imagine 3rd year rotations. Maybe you and one other student at VTC. At UM, are you going to be as involved or will you be trying to learn from the back of the room?

On cost, I know you said ignore. But have you really done a complete comparison of tuition and living expenses ? VTC charges same tuition for OOS vs IS students. And the cost of living in Roanoke VA is significantly lower than Baltimore.

And then there is the location which you also said to ignore. But they are very different. You'll want to live in Downtown Baltimore, very near the Medical Center or in a couple neighborhoods here and there that are safe. Or live in a small-ish, but not that small, mountain town in a more rural, scenic area ? This is a preference thing but four years is a fairly long time so I'd give it at least some consideration.

One factor to consider is how interested you are in research. VTC has a 3.5 mandatory research curriculum / project built into the program and they have their own Research Institute adjacent to / attached to the medical school. Maybe you don't want that structure (?). Lots of opportunities if research is your thing. I'm sure UM has plenty of opportunities as well.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

I am very confused and have only a few days to decide so any help would help a lot thanks!

What did you decide ?

 

[Conflicted_Contradiction]

I decided to go to UMSOM and for any future people facing the same type of decision I’ll explain my reasoning here:
it is a higher ranked school so I felt it would set me up better when applying to surgical specialties especially with step 1 being P/F now.

I was initially worried about learning from the back during rotations but have since learned that rotations are limited to 2-3 students usually so that would not be an issue ,

I know not to consider cost but that was to weight merits and once I did that the cost did play a role and all scholarships and aid included UNSOM works out to be almost 200k cheaper over 4 years.

Finally everyone I talked to from advisors to surgeons to doctors and some residency directors I know, all said to choose Maryland as school name will matter more in coming years.

Finally considering that I have been working within the UMMC system for the last 6-7 years I have some connections within the school already in labs and surgeons etc. which was valuable to me as they can help me if I go to UMSOM.

Thank you so much for all your help and I hope you guys continue the discussion of the merits of each school as there is very limited info on these two elsewhere so this could be the resource for others I myself spent hours trying to find.

This is all to say VTCSOM is amazing and a part of me really wanted to go and I think they’re going to be a quickly rising program but for me it just made more sense to go to UMSOM when for someone else what VTCSOM offers (maybe with a bit more scholarship) might be the better choice.

Also just to note if I wasn’t aiming for such a ridiculously competitive specialty that UMSOM is already highly reputated for, I would’ve chosen VTCSOM but they’re just a younger school for me as of right now.

 

[theoceanman]

I decided to go to UMSOM and for any future people facing the same type of decision I’ll explain my reasoning here:
it is a higher ranked school so I felt it would set me up better when applying to surgical specialties especially with step 1 being P/F now.

I was initially worried about learning from the back during rotations but have since learned that rotations are limited to 2-3 students usually so that would not be an issue ,

I know not to consider cost but that was to weight merits and once I did that the cost did play a role and all scholarships and aid included UNSOM works out to be almost 200k cheaper over 4 years.

Finally everyone I talked to from advisors to surgeons to doctors and some residency directors I know, all said to choose Maryland as school name will matter more in coming years.

Finally considering that I have been working within the UMMC system for the last 6-7 years I have some connections within the school already in labs and surgeons etc. which was valuable to me as they can help me if I go to UMSOM.

Thank you so much for all your help and I hope you guys continue the discussion of the merits of each school as there is very limited info on these two elsewhere so this could be the resource for others I myself spent hours trying to find.

This is all to say VTCSOM is amazing and a part of me really wanted to go and I think they’re going to be a quickly rising program but for me it just made more sense to go to UMSOM when for someone else what VTCSOM offers (maybe with a bit more scholarship) might be the better choice.

Also just to note if I wasn’t aiming for such a ridiculously competitive specialty that UMSOM is already highly reputated for, I would’ve chosen VTCSOM but they’re just a younger school for me as of right now.

Congratulations, the neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeons that I've worked with have graduated from UMSOM and did their respective residencies up north, with the orthopedic surgeon staying up in UMSOM for their residency. Best of luck, and it's a fantastic medical school!