VTC vs VCU

[jj_blue]

Hi y'all, I'm down to two schools and completely torn. Here's the sitch:

I'm admitted at VTC, waitlisted at VCU. I'm going to be out of the country for the whole month of May, so if VCU gives me the A (fingers crossed), I won't have a chance to visit the school or really research any extra info. BTW, I grew up in Richmond and emphasized how much I want to go home in my VCU app. I need to just decide sooner rather than later so I know what I'm going to do.

Cost - VCU has lower tuition, but higher cost of living. VTC hasn't sent out aid yet (grr!), so I'm assuming full $55k tuition.
Location - Richmond > Roanoke, I'm a city person, need a live music scene, but I could be happy being outdoorsy in Roanoke. not a dealbreaker, just a preference.
Res Match - I'm interested in EM, and VTC's EM matches actually look better? Someone can fact-check me here
Curriculum - I like VTC's 4-year research project requirement, otherwise they look pretty similar
Culture - VTC students seem tight-knit with each other and faculty, haven't gotten to visit VCU so I'm not sure
Reputation - VCU is technically ranked higher, more established

Is there anything else I need to consider? Thanks for your help and input <3

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[SCOOPEER]

VCU is certainly more established, however, as someone who was accepted to VTC as well I think you would likely have more individualized attention to cater to your needs coupled with the close-knit environment you described. Also, VTC has many mandatory PBL/lecture's so that's something to consider as well. If you want EM both institutions can get you there. I personally would select VCU; higher ranked, probably lower overall cost, and familiarity with area/city life 🙂

 

[snorkmaiden6]

I think I'd choose VTC from those two! VTC is kind of an up and coming program IMO. Great faculty support for small class size, research opportunities are better than most schools, and Roanoke is a cute area with bigger cities nearby for weekend trips. If VTC aid is decent, I think it might be worth going there regardless of the lower rank. In this case, I think the rank is more reflective of how new of a program VTC is, rather than quality of education.

That said, if VTC ends up being super expensive, I'd say VCU.

(disclaimer, had an A to VTC)

 

[thefirerisen]

If you get into VCU, there is no reason to pick VTC here unless they give you an amazing financial package. Research at VCU will be better than VTC - I know they're trying to frame themselves as "research heavy" but VCU still gets way more research funding and is in a different league with their hospital system. You mentioned EM - it is not a competitive specialty so I wouldn't look at match lists to try to get how they match but I know that VCU Health's ER is a very large one and serves a huge area so you'd get some good exposure there.

I think you'd be making a mistake picking VTC over VCU. Especially as you indicated that you like Richmond.