UNE COM vs NSU KPCOM

[ghusky9616]

Hello everyone, I'm hoping you guys can help me figure out which school to choose or maybe offer some information about either school that I may not already know or considered. Some background: I am from Rhode Island originally and did my undergrad in Boston, MA. I also have an interesting perspective of NSU because of how my interview day went. I had a lot of travel difficulties arriving to Fort Lauderdale for my interview that resulted in my arriving four hours late.. Everyone was so kind and understanding which was amazing and says a lot about the school, however, this means that I missed a lot of the presentations and tours about the medical school and didn't get to speak to any of the current medical students.. So I'm a little afraid that because of this I am missing critical views of NSU, where on the other hand, I was able to attend both an open house and the full interview day for UNE.

UNE Pros:
- most of my family is spread throughout New England with my grandfather and extended family in Portland ME, easy to visit family
- I love snowboarding so if I have to get away and do something to relax and unwind there are mountains within an hour and a half drive
- I got an amazing vibe from the school when I was there for their open house and interview day. They seemed to really have an amazing community and support of one another.
- time to study for boards in their curriculum

UNE Cons:
- weather is pretty rough (but I'm from New England so it wouldn't be too much of an adjustment)
- not very high-tech when compared to NSU. From my understanding they don't incorporate a lot of technology into their program which I think is going to be an very interesting and important part of the medical field in the future
- The clinical locations don't seem to be as well regarded as the NSU clinical rotations (i think? I'm having a hard time knowing how to gauge this)

NSU Pros;
- sunshine! (not sure if I would love being in the warmth all year round since i've never done it but how bad could it be?)
- an opportunity to leave New England and switch up my life a little (however I'm not sure if this is a good thing when med school will already be such a adjustment)
- clinical rotations
- more diverse patient populations
- very high tech and incorporates some incredible use of technology into their program
- I also love kiteboarding/surfing so can always get away to a beach for this when I have a little free time

NSU Cons:
- very far away from family and friends
- pretty large adjustment (but again this could be a good thing)
- board scores are a little concerning although I've heard they are doing a lot to address this

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[International_student]

Hello everyone, I'm hoping you guys can help me figure out which school to choose or maybe offer some information about either school that I may not already know or considered. Some background: I am from Rhode Island originally and did my undergrad in Boston, MA. I also have an interesting perspective of NSU because of how my interview day went. I had a lot of travel difficulties arriving to Fort Lauderdale for my interview that resulted in my arriving four hours late.. Everyone was so kind and understanding which was amazing and says a lot about the school, however, this means that I missed a lot of the presentations and tours about the medical school and didn't get to speak to any of the current medical students.. So I'm a little afraid that because of this I am missing critical views of NSU, where on the other hand, I was able to attend both an open house and the full interview day for UNE.

UNE Pros:
- most of my family is spread throughout New England with my grandfather and extended family in Portland ME, easy to visit family
- I love snowboarding so if I have to get away and do something to relax and unwind there are mountains within an hour and a half drive
- I got an amazing vibe from the school when I was there for their open house and interview day. They seemed to really have an amazing community and support of one another.
- time to study for boards in their curriculum

UNE Cons:
- weather is pretty rough (but I'm from New England so it wouldn't be too much of an adjustment)
- not very high-tech when compared to NSU. From my understanding they don't incorporate a lot of technology into their program which I think is going to be an very interesting and important part of the medical field in the future
- The clinical locations don't seem to be as well regarded as the NSU clinical rotations (i think? I'm having a hard time knowing how to gauge this)

NSU Pros;
- sunshine! (not sure if I would love being in the warmth all year round since i've never done it but how bad could it be?)
- an opportunity to leave New England and switch up my life a little (however I'm not sure if this is a good thing when med school will already be such a adjustment)
- clinical rotations
- more diverse patient populations
- very high tech and incorporates some incredible use of technology into their program
- I also love kiteboarding/surfing so can always get away to a beach for this when I have a little free time

NSU Cons:
- very far away from family and friends
- pretty large adjustment (but again this could be a good thing)
- board scores are a little concerning although I've heard they are doing a lot to address this

I was accepted to both as well and I’m leaning more towards Nova. I spoke to current first and second years and the curriculum seems to be going in the right direction... what really helped me decide is the fact that UNECOM has mandatory lectures in second year (if I remember correctly). They also rotate mainly in community hospitals and private doctor offices which honestly doesn’t sound like the best places to prepare for residency. Although UNECOM has better board scores, Nova has a more impressive match list (in my opinion) which shows just how big of an asset the opportunities around Nova are for your future career. Lastly I’m not a big fan of the weather, the lack of diversity and the overall rural environment around UNECOM. Hope this helps

 

[nontradpremedCO]

If you're absolutely 50/50 on the schools I would take tuition into account. I've visited UNE and got accepted into NOVA. I absolutely love Nova, but if I got into UNE COM I would go their because the tuition is cheaper and I really liked it as well. NOVA is actually $63,500 (with fees) and UNE $56,700. That a $7,000/ year difference * 4 years + 6-7% interest each year... that $30,000-ish more + interest in residency.
If you felt like you really wouldn't be happy living in Maine at all, then the money is worth the increase of happiness/ quality of life.
Also, while UNE might have more community based rotations, an interesting perspective someone gave me is that the doctor your working with will probably give you more direct teaching time and let you do more procedures/ see more patients because their isnt a resident/ fellow in line to see the patient first. As a med student, your really just trying to learn the basics, so all the practice you can get it a plus.
Also, i love the technology at Nova, but i think it's more a perk than something that will actually influence the quality of my medical education. For instance, I actually read this article about a medical student who created a DIY laparoscopic training box for $50 and it was just as effective at introducing medical students to surgery and high-tech training devices.
Last, take into consideration where you want to do your residency. Nova matchs people to Florida, Mississippi and New York mainly with few outliers. Im not sure where UNE students Match, but I assume all over the new england area.
Hope this helps.. please note, I really do love Nova, I just think New England sounds like a better fit for you, perhaps.

 

[Med.School.Hopeful]

Nova had a board pass rate of 85% a couple years ago but the last 2 years have it at 92%. They’ve improved and starting this past year they’ve changed the curriculum to be more boards focused. Students currently there are very happy about the changes. Good sign here as it’s a school listening to it’s students.

The Patels have donated around $200 million to the school. They have increasing research opportunities and opened a new branch in Clear Water. Nova does have some good clinical rotations as well. Some of this money is also going into clinical rotations. They are also expanding facilities.

To me Nova is a school on the way up. The interview day there left a great impression on me.