Wake Forest vs. Hofstra

[iKlue]

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Thanks for the help!

 

[sss1219]

What would be the total COA difference between the two?

Also Step outcomes are more based on personal preparation so don't worry too much about averages

 

[docr3]

I don't yet have full financial aid packages from either school (and I will very likely qualify for need-based aid), but at this very moment it would be ~230k (WF) vs. 320k (Hofstra).

Caveats:
- I could easily purchase a house in Winston-Salem, and the COA for WF would be lower.
- I've heard that Hofstra's need-based aid tends to be better. (though for the purposes of this post, I'll assume $0)

I definitely agree with the difficulty of interpreting STEP averages, correlations with incoming MCATs, etc... I do mention it, however, because I know some schools really push board preparation during the curriculum and I think that can possibly make a difference. Also, the difference in designated STEP study time between these schools is ~3 weeks, which seems pretty significant.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Hofstra has very generous new based aid, maybe not 25,000$ a semester but it could certainly be 10-20

 

[NeuroSoph75]

It sounds like you want to go to Hofstra!

 

[DubbiDoctor]

Go to Hofstra - it has plenty of research and is the better school in a better location. Wake is in the middle of nowhere, which, like dartmouth, is why their stats are relatively low.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

OP, really interested in how you got a 100K scholarship, what was your pitch and your stats like?

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

- I could easily purchase a house in Winston-Salem, and the COA for WF would be even lower.

How could you easily purchase a house but expect to get need-based aid??

 

[docr3]

I definitely "feel" as though I like Hofstra more (mainly due to its curriculum), but Wake's extra 100k and established match record in competitive specialities is hard to turn away!


Thanks for the input! Do you have any thoughts on the financial considerations? Wake is definitely in the middle of nowhere, but housing is also priced for it.

I would mention your situation to the financial aid office at Hofstra. There’s a chance it may change how much money they give you

 

[sss1219]

Unless you have high aspirations (competitive residencies and/or academia), both schools should get you to where you want to go. It sounds like it's a case of hofstra for curriculum/school reasons or WF for happiness/SO and financial reasons. For me I think WF would be a better choice, but if hofstra is willing to cough up more money and you believe you will be fine without having your support systems nearby, then either school would be okay, neither will hold you back.

 

[DrSlings]

Go to Hofstra - it has plenty of research and is the better school in a better location. Wake is in the middle of nowhere, which, like dartmouth, is why their stats are relatively low.

What stats are you specifically referencing?

 

[DBC03]

I had to look this up, but Wake is completely non-ranked, including internal rankings. It's one of the few truly P/F schools (at least this was what I found on the spreadsheet that compared all the schools). I probably looked at Hofstra as well, but I can't remember what it said about them. I even looked up all the stuff about AOA and might be able to pass that info on if I can find it again. Basically, it's true P/F.

First, I'm going to agree with others that it sounds like you want to go to Hofstra. Where are you from and where you wish to practice will be the most important aspects of this decision.

I'm in at WF and WL at Hofstra, but will likely withdraw this week. The decision for me - between the two - is fairly personal, but I'll give you my take on what's important to me. First, I'm from the south, love the south, and plan to stay in the south if possible. I like warm weather, the sun, and being outdoors. I LOVE North Carolina and WF's proximity to things like hiking, rock climbing, and my parents' house near the Smokey Mountains. I also like that WF records their lectures as I'm an auditory learner and I'll likely be listening to the recordings on my drive to school, and while at home. My husband went to school in SC and would love to be in NC, so that's a win for the SO, as well. WF also has case-based learning throughout the year, which helps people like me (and you) who are self-driven learners. But I like that it's not ONLY case based learning - it's combo of both lectures and group. I'm not sure how concerned we should be about step scores as just about everyone says that step scores often depend on how much the students put in to learning, so I've been told that as someone with a higher MCAT score, I can probably do fine if I put the time in. I do, however, wish they had just a few additional weeks of step prep. And, like you, we plan to purchase a house. I have a friend who is doing a residency with Hofstra and housing there is ridiculously expensive. So these are all the huge pros for me.

However, if you like the northeast and hope to practice up there, Northwell is very established and will not close any doors for you, so that can be a great system. Rentals are not all that much more expensive on LI, and if you like NYC, it's very close and will give you the option of going in on the weekend without being stuck living there. Also, I've heard Hofstra is pretty generous with aid, so you might get lucky (or you could negotiate for more). Also, completely ignore average student indebtedness - that gives you a sense of how much aid the school gives out overall, but has nothing to do with your particular situation. With the scholarship WF has given you, and, if you can purchase a house in Winston-Salem (which, let's admit, would be dirt cheap and super cute), your COA would be the remaining tuition and food and transportation. It's not going to be the average for the school. On the other hand, if you love Hofstra, let them know about your scholarship and see if they can match it.

Also, how much further from SO are we talking? If it's 6 hours one way, 8 hours another, I'd say it's a wash. if it's significantly closer one way and not as much the other, I'd definitely consider getting closer to SO. BUT - again, these all add up to the full picture. I've been told by a few people to look at everything as objectively as possible in the beginning, but if there's no obvious winner, go with your instinct as there's probably some subconscious reason you like one more than the other.

 

[Sawbones_11]

I had to look this up, but Wake is completely non-ranked, including internal rankings. It's one of the few truly P/F schools (at least this was what I found on the spreadsheet that compared all the schools). I probably looked at Hofstra as well, but I can't remember what it said about them. I even looked up all the stuff about AOA and might be able to pass that info on if I can find it again. Basically, it's true P/F.

First, I'm going to agree with others that it sounds like you want to go to Hofstra. Where are you from and where you wish to practice will be the most important aspects of this decision.

I'm in at WF and WL at Hofstra, but will likely withdraw this week. The decision for me - between the two - is fairly personal, but I'll give you my take on what's important to me. First, I'm from the south, love the south, and plan to stay in the south if possible. I like warm weather, the sun, and being outdoors. I LOVE North Carolina and WF's proximity to things like hiking, rock climbing, and my parents' house near the Smokey Mountains. I also like that WF records their lectures as I'm an auditory learner and I'll likely be listening to the recordings on my drive to school, and while at home. My husband went to school in SC and would love to be in NC, so that's a win for the SO, as well. WF also has case-based learning throughout the year, which helps people like me (and you) who are self-driven learners. But I like that it's not ONLY case based learning - it's combo of both lectures and group. I'm not sure how concerned we should be about step scores as just about everyone says that step scores often depend on how much the students put in to learning, so I've been told that as someone with a higher MCAT score, I can probably do fine if I put the time in. I do, however, wish they had just a few additional weeks of step prep. And, like you, we plan to purchase a house. I have a friend who is doing a residency with Hofstra and housing there is ridiculously expensive. So these are all the huge pros for me.

However, if you like the northeast and hope to practice up there, Northwell is very established and will not close any doors for you, so that can be a great system. Rentals are not all that much more expensive on LI, and if you like NYC, it's very close and will give you the option of going in on the weekend without being stuck living there. Also, I've heard Hofstra is pretty generous with aid, so you might get lucky (or you could negotiate for more). Also, completely ignore average student indebtedness - that gives you a sense of how much aid the school gives out overall, but has nothing to do with your particular situation. With the scholarship WF has given you, and, if you can purchase a house in Winston-Salem (which, let's admit, would be dirt cheap and super cute), your COA would be the remaining tuition and food and transportation. It's not going to be the average for the school. On the other hand, if you love Hofstra, let them know about your scholarship and see if they can match it.

Also, how much further from SO are we talking? If it's 6 hours one way, 8 hours another, I'd say it's a wash. if it's significantly closer one way and not as much the other, I'd definitely consider getting closer to SO. BUT - again, these all add up to the full picture. I've been told by a few people to look at everything as objectively as possible in the beginning, but if there's no obvious winner, go with your instinct as there's probably some subconscious reason you like one more than the other.

Just an FYI Wake does do Internal Rankings. They only distribute them to residencies requesting them, and they use them for AOA membership nomination as well. Spoke to someone on the adcom about this recently. Btw I’ll be matriculating with you at Wake, look forward to meeting you at second look!


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[DBC03]

Just an FYI Wake does do Internal Rankings. They only distribute them to residencies requesting them, and they use them for AOA membership nomination as well. Spoke to someone on the adcom about this recently. Btw I’ll be matriculating with you at Wake, look forward to meeting you at second look!


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Thanks for the clarification - I’m wondering if it’s both preclinical and clerkship grades or just clerkship? I’ll see you soon!


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[iKlue]

Just an FYI Wake does do Internal Rankings. They only distribute them to residencies requesting them, and they use them for AOA membership nomination as well. Spoke to someone on the adcom about this recently. Btw I’ll be matriculating with you at Wake, look forward to meeting you at second look!


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Thanks for the info!

 

[DBC03]

This was from their handbook - I’m going to ask about ranking during second look as it will be nice to know how they do it.

I’ll see you at second look!


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[tiramisucheese]

View attachment 231702

This was from their handbook - I’m going to ask about ranking during second look as it will be nice to know how they do it.

I’ll see you at second look!


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So I asked Dr. Hu about this at second look. She confirmed that there are no internal rankings, and she mentioned that AOA is kind of magically assembled, and that very few people actually know the details on it.

 

[Sawbones_11]

So I asked Dr. Hu about this at second look. She confirmed that there are no internal rankings, and she mentioned that AOA is kind of magically assembled, and that very few people actually know the details on it.

Good to know! The AOA bit is worrisome.


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[DBC03]

Good to know! The AOA bit is worrisome.


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I’ve heard from other schools and it seems that AOA is never based purely on class rank - it’s a combination of a number of qualities. I’m not sure this is remarkably different from other places.


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[Sawbones_11]

I’ve heard from other schools and it seems that AOA is never based purely on class rank - it’s a combination of a number of qualities. I’m not sure this is remarkably different from other places.


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Sure— but those qualities are on top of particular level of academic achievement. There is of course some subjectivity involved in all of the AOA processes, but the black box surrounding it makes it feel more politicized than it should be. Hope I’m wrong.


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