Wayne State vs MSU CHM

[popcorn1096]

Hi All,

I've recently been accepted (yay!!) at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and I enjoyed both of these schools at my interview day. There hasn't been a recent thread comparing these schools in a couple of years and I am really struggling which school to lean towards (I know its early but MSU requires accepted applicants to take additional steps in the process now). I am a Michigan resident, tuition/COA is a priority for me, and I am super undecided on what specialty I would like to pursue (currently a med onc scribe, which is cool). I made a pros/cons list but also just curious to see what the general consensus is based on past/current medical students or applicants.

Wayne State
PROS:
-Urban setting
-Consolidated medical campus/proximity
-Impressive match list/ very established school
-New curriculum is systems based, wide window for step 1 prep, more time to do rotations before 4th year
-Tuition is ~34k (one of the cheapest options)

CONS:
-HUGE class size (~290 students)
-Disorganized administration
-Community of students seems a bit disconnected
-Everything is kind of DIY (research opps, getting involved, etc.), I don't have a problem going out of my way for experiences but it is definitely more of a hassle
-Interview day was underwhelming, most of the info I have is from friends who are med students at Wayne

MSU CHM
PROS:
-Smaller class size (190 total, but 95 students per campus)
-More involved admin.
-Secchia center was beautiful in GR

CONS:
-Random campus placement 1st/2nd year (east lansing or grand rapids)
-3rd and 4th year completed at satellite campuses (or EL/GR, but this is also out of your control)
-Lower step scores, less impressive match list
-Tuition ~39k

Let me know what your thoughts are, please be kind!

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[libertyyne]

Hi All,

I've recently been accepted (yay!!) at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and I enjoyed both of these schools at my interview day. There hasn't been a recent thread comparing these schools in a couple of years and I am really struggling which school to lean towards (I know its early but MSU requires accepted applicants to take additional steps in the process now). I am a Michigan resident, tuition/COA is a priority for me, and I am super undecided on what specialty I would like to pursue (currently a med onc scribe, which is cool). I made a pros/cons list but also just curious to see what the general consensus is based on past/current medical students or applicants.

Wayne State
PROS:
-Urban setting
-Consolidated medical campus/proximity
-Impressive match list/ very established school
-New curriculum is systems based, wide window for step 1 prep, more time to do rotations before 4th year
-Tuition is ~34k (one of the cheapest options)

CONS:
-HUGE class size (~290 students)
-Disorganized administration
-Community of students seems a bit disconnected
-Everything is kind of DIY (research opps, getting involved, etc.), I don't have a problem going out of my way for experiences but it is definitely more of a hassle
-Interview day was underwhelming, most of the info I have is from friends who are med students at Wayne

MSU CHM
PROS:
-Smaller class size (190 total, but 95 students per campus)
-More involved admin.
-Secchia center was beautiful in GR

CONS:
-Random campus placement 1st/2nd year (east lansing or grand rapids)
-3rd and 4th year completed at satellite campuses (or EL/GR, but this is also out of your control)
-Lower step scores, less impressive match list
-Tuition ~39k

Let me know what your thoughts are, please be kind!

Think about total costs and any scholarship offers for costs. IIRC MSUCHM is a bit higher in terms of total costs over 4 years .

MSUCHM didnt have much research opportunities compared to Wayne, even if you have to fend for yourself.

Look towards the future, what specialties are you interested in ? Do both schools have affiliated residency programs for those specialties? Look towards the most competitive specialty you could think of yourself doing, now see if each school has equal opportunity for matching in those.

Think about learning styles, MSUCHM is a lot more hands on compared to wayne, do you thrive independently or do you need that one on one attention?

Wayne has more research, more residency programs, and a more hands off approach.

 

[popcorn1096]

Think about total costs and any scholarship offers for costs. IIRC MSUCHM is a bit higher in terms of total costs over 4 years .

MSUCHM didnt have much research opportunities compared to Wayne, even if you have to fend for yourself.

Look towards the future, what specialties are you interested in ? Do both schools have affiliated residency programs for those specialties? Look towards the most competitive specialty you could think of yourself doing, now see if each school has equal opportunity for matching in those.

Think about learning styles, MSUCHM is a lot more hands on compared to wayne, do you thrive independently or do you need that one on one attention?

Wayne has more research, more residency programs, and a more hands off approach.

Thank you! This is helpful advice. Have a great Thursday!

 

[libertyyne]

Thank you! This is helpful advice. Have a great Thursday!

feel free to contact me. I also ended up with a similar decision to make.

 

[mackie10]

Let me touch on some of your WSU cons. Hopefully this helps out a bit!:

- Large class size: Class size hasn't really affected me much but this entirely depends on what concerns you have with class size in the first place. Are you worried about competition between students? Are you worried you will have a difficult time meeting others or making friends? Regarding competition, I don't feel much of it. The new curriculum is a clean cut pass/fail where you have to reach a certain percentage to pass each unit. This is great because it really encourages students to collaborate with one another (we share resources and tips on our fb page all the time). I'll admit there will always be some gunners out there but that will not affect your ability to pass each unit. About making friends, I don't have issues with that either. You'll have a chance to bond with classmates during orientation and you'll also have an assigned anatomy table with people you'll see on a regular basis (the smaller part of the larger learning community you're placed in). There's also plenty of interest groups where you can mingle.

- Administration: I'll be honest to you and admit that the administration definitely lacks in many areas. There's a lot of miscommunication that goes on as well as poor planning. On the bright side though, I can tell you that the student body does a great job at standing together and speaking up about it. When the current M1s were starting classes, the M2s (the original pilots of the new curriculum) made a huge effort to ensure changes were made so we didn't have to go through some of the same road blocks they did. Many M2s also serve as tutors/student instructors for various parts of the curriculum. I honestly really love the upperclassmen and how they look out for us. I'm hoping current M1s will continue to follow in their footsteps once the new matriculants begin.

- Getting involved: What do you think you'll have difficulty getting involved in? Volunteering? Research? Volunteering is really easy to get involved in at Wayne and it's actually a required part of the curriculum. For research, it's a little more complicated (but I will say it's getting easier). There's currently a research elective where you get paired up with a mentor and do a research project with them in years 1 and 2. Otherwise you have to reach out on your own. Wayne is teeming with research opportunities but it just requires more incentive on your part instead of someone holding your hand.

Feel free to DM me if you have any other questions! Congrats on your acceptances! You'll be awesome no matter where you choose to go!