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Accepted at all three. Your thoughts?
University of Washington vs. Penn State vs. Loma Linda
- Thread starter kiddocwannabe
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I would (and probably will) choose UW. Great all around school. #1 primary care with amazing clinical opportunities especially in WWAMI sites, M3s and M4s supposedly treated as interns. #6 research so lots of opportunities there as well. One of the strongest emphases on the underserved. Strong yet approachable faculty and very down to earth students. Cost would be in-state for you, correct?
I am not familiar with Penn State. I know it is lower ranked and would cost a lot more, and be further from family for you, right?
I live near Loma Linda and know quite a few students there, M1 - M4. They like the overall atmosphere and holistic approach, but have been disappointed in general with the faculty. This makes sense as they are recruiting faculty from such a tiny pool (i.e. SDA). You also have to sign a behavior contract and attend mandatory weekly chapel services, somewhat juvenile in my opinion. School is unranked and more expensive. Location is the worst of the three, unless you like smog and meth labs
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I am not familiar with Penn State. I know it is lower ranked and would cost a lot more, and be further from family for you, right?
I live near Loma Linda and know quite a few students there, M1 - M4. They like the overall atmosphere and holistic approach, but have been disappointed in general with the faculty. This makes sense as they are recruiting faculty from such a tiny pool (i.e. SDA). You also have to sign a behavior contract and attend mandatory weekly chapel services, somewhat juvenile in my opinion. School is unranked and more expensive. Location is the worst of the three, unless you like smog and meth labs
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Is this really a difficult decision. UW!!! all the way
Penn state and loma linda aren't even in the same league. In every regard (location, prestige, clinical strength, research, etc.), UW wins.
Penn state and loma linda aren't even in the same league. In every regard (location, prestige, clinical strength, research, etc.), UW wins.
Not every regard. Jesus, remember? Loma Linda wins hands down by that metric.
If you have the opportunity to pay in-state for UW, you'd be crazy NOT to go. That's like turning down Baylor as a Texas resident.
UWSOM curriculum is heavily geared towards primary care. I think they schedule primary care rotations into the 4th year as well.
The only downside I can see to UW is the quarter system, and the possibility you may not get to do clinical rotations in Seattle. But given those three, I'd go to Washington.
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It says he is from Alaska, so doesn't he have to practice there for 5 years or pay 80,000 back?
Great point. It depends on the state. Wyoming people definitely have to pay it back if they don't practice there, but Washington state people can theoretically go anywhere.
I also checked out a recent match list for UWSOM. Over half of the grads go into primary care. Very few folks go into competitive specialty, and very few place into Northeast residencies (although that may be due to students' preference).
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UW all the way. Great school + Seattle is cool.
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I'd be very tempted to go with UW, too, but that 5-year commitment is kind of scary.
I personally wouldn't go to Loma Linda because it is on a lower tier and location is not that great. Also, the religious aspect is a big turn off for me, but I guess you might like it.
I'd say if you can swallow the 5-year commitment, UW definitely. If you like your freedom enough to go to a school not as recognized and further away, Penn State.
If all else fails, then Loma Linda.
I personally wouldn't go to Loma Linda because it is on a lower tier and location is not that great. Also, the religious aspect is a big turn off for me, but I guess you might like it.
I'd say if you can swallow the 5-year commitment, UW definitely. If you like your freedom enough to go to a school not as recognized and further away, Penn State.
If all else fails, then Loma Linda.
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Thanks guys. Yeah. At UW, AK students have a 5-year payback... and I don't like living here... so being required to stay here until I'm *37* years old sounds ridiculous. Um. Or I could pay $80K and practice wherever I wanted to after med school. The curriculum is old-school and the students actually score lower than average on step 1's. But I was accepted unanimously by the board. So maybe I can talk them into a good financial aid package.
Penn State seems pretty good. Really far away, though, and I'm pretty gung-ho about the west coast. The Hershey area isn't a draw for me. The curriculum has a lot of PBL, which is sounds increasingly less progressive and more headache-inducing.
The reason I'm drawn to Loma Linda is the Christian aspect. They put a lot of effort into holistic, global medicine, which is 100% my reason for pursuing medicine. BUT if I end up with a bunch of snarky, naive classmates, and sub-par instructors, then I will be really really really disappointed. Also, I actually really like the area. Haha... I'm from Alaska. Anyplace with palm trees and sunshine feels a lot better than what I've got going here. (I know I know, it's hot and I don't know what I'm talking about. It just really felt like home there.)
Penn State seems pretty good. Really far away, though, and I'm pretty gung-ho about the west coast. The Hershey area isn't a draw for me. The curriculum has a lot of PBL, which is sounds increasingly less progressive and more headache-inducing.
The reason I'm drawn to Loma Linda is the Christian aspect. They put a lot of effort into holistic, global medicine, which is 100% my reason for pursuing medicine. BUT if I end up with a bunch of snarky, naive classmates, and sub-par instructors, then I will be really really really disappointed. Also, I actually really like the area. Haha... I'm from Alaska. Anyplace with palm trees and sunshine feels a lot better than what I've got going here. (I know I know, it's hot and I don't know what I'm talking about. It just really felt like home there.)
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Although I think Apok meant to be insulting, I think you have a clear answer for yourself. It's not what others would do. What do you feel is more important: prestige or fit?
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thats awesome! out of curiosity....how do you know that?
Loma Linda is a great school, with very caring faculty, a brand new building for the med school.
However, having said that, a very close relative of mine (who is SDA in fact) turned down Loma Linda (she would have been third generation in our family to go to Loma Linda) to go to UW, and doesn't regret her decision one bit.
She got into neurosurgery after UW, btw, and is also delighted she has so little student debt (vs Loma Linda).
I say go to UW, join a Christian student group if that's important to you, and do some mission/outreach work. You don't need to go to a school full of Christians - in fact, why be part of a 'Christian bubble' - if you are a Christian, isn't your mission to go out and spread the word to the rest of the world?
Disclaimer - I was raised Christian but I'm not religious.
However, having said that, a very close relative of mine (who is SDA in fact) turned down Loma Linda (she would have been third generation in our family to go to Loma Linda) to go to UW, and doesn't regret her decision one bit.
She got into neurosurgery after UW, btw, and is also delighted she has so little student debt (vs Loma Linda).
I say go to UW, join a Christian student group if that's important to you, and do some mission/outreach work. You don't need to go to a school full of Christians - in fact, why be part of a 'Christian bubble' - if you are a Christian, isn't your mission to go out and spread the word to the rest of the world?
Disclaimer - I was raised Christian but I'm not religious.
haha, that's funny!! I would agree here but I am a WA resident so her saying no wouldn't affect my chances...
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One of the interviewers, the one who called me to tell me I was accepted, told me.
Also, crywin is right-- my decision will only affect Alaskans who are waitlisted.
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For Alaskans, it's a unique situation-- one interview week for 20 spots-- so they notify all acceptances/waitlists/rejections immediately. I don't think a unanimous decision is necessary for an acceptance, but you might be right. It is a large executive board meeting, in Seattle, so it seems unlikely that all members of the board agree on all 20 spots.
thomasyorke: sweet sdn handle.
and thanks for the advice.
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Also, I'm not sure the 80k Alaska penalty is a factor, is it? Wouldn't LLU and Penn State cost that much more anyway? UW is still the best school, regardless of price. Also, I know it's hard to imagine, but your religious convictions may change down the road. I went to a conservative Christian university UG, and now regret it for this very reason. Remember, you are going to med school to be a doctor, go to the one you think will make you the best doctor, Christian or otherwise. And either way, I met plenty of Christians at UW. At this stage in your life I doubt you need help knowing how to integrate your faith with your career. So maybe I'll see you at UW in August!
How interesting...I also was accepted to UW, Loma Linda, and Penn State (and University of North Dakota). Unfortunately, I do not remember meeting anyone from Alaska at my interviews. If I were not accepted to UW, the decision would be more difficult, but UW stood out clearly as I want to return to Montana and practice rural family medicine. I love the mentoring, the time I would get to spend in Montana during medical school, the cheaper tuition, and faculty and staff I met while doing SMDEP there a couple years back. The Christian environment of Loma Linda was somewhat appealing (as was the focus on service), but as I've already attended a great Christian undergrad, I feel ready to break out of the "bubble" and engage the rest of the world. I also don't want to spend all of med school in a sprawling metropolitan area. I liked Penn State's interdisciplinary model, but a 4th year student said that the seminars aren't nearly as great as they sound, I didn't like how isolated the med school was from the main campus, and the primary opportunity to work with underserved populations there was through a student-run free clinic in another city. So there's a brief summary of my decision process among the schools we were both accepted to - hope it helps!
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