Hey, WCOMP Class of 2014 checking in.
I'm originally from Michigan and fell in love with UMDNJ early on in the application. If I had gotten into UMDNJSOM I would've cancelled my WCOMP interview, but, I got waitlisted.
I remember when I stepped out of my hotel shuttle the morning of the interview. Sunny. Palm trees. My flight had landed at Ontario airport the night before so I hadn't had the chance to get a look at my surroundings.
I wanted to hate Western. Truly, I did. It would've made things so much easier. I would've been able to go home and focus all of my hopes and expectations on UMDNJ.
By the end of the day, I realized that, no, I really didn't hate the school. Actually, it was pretty great. "Tied for first place in the barren wasteland that is my brain"-sort of great. I eventually got accepted to both schools. I struggled for a while, but the main issue for me was cost. UMDNJ was cheaper. I liked WCOMP a bit more. In the end, I gave in and went where I thought I'd be happy.
I don't know if I've ever been so happy in my whole life. Let's not get me wrong - WCOMP is still a medical school. It's hard. The school sometimes does things that aren't perfect. It's unbearably hot in SoCal sometimes. On the other hand, there's nowhere else I'd rather be. Even when it's bad and I haven't slept well in days and all I want is a home-cooked meal, a nap, and my laundry to magically do itself, it's good.
I don't know what your priorities in searching for a school are, so I don't know if you'll have the same reaction as me. There are people in my class who can't wait to graduate and get away. I just know that the school fit me. It had everything I wanted, and moreover, it just felt right. I'll spare everybody the hassle of having to read a huge post, so I'll only list a few of the things I liked about the school. If you want more info, PM me.
1) Strong board scores and diverse match list. I know that people say not to put too much stock in the match list, but it seems like WCOMP sends graduates all over the place. I don't know where I'll end up in the future, but if I want to know that I have options. I'm not ready to say I'll settle down in one place.
2) Amazing standardized patient lab (where you talk to actors/actresses). I think this is the reason for WCOMP having top board scores during the 2nd board exam. Learning to communicate effectively is also a priority of mine, so I really wanted to get experience from the lab instead of trying settling into possible bad habits in practice.
3) Expansion. Western was one of the few schools I was at where it felt like there was active growth / achievement. They keep tweaking things. I'd rather have that and the inevitable mistakes associated with it instead of an institution where the administration isn't particularly concerned about improvement.
4) Environment. I'm a rural kid. Even though I might go back to a rural area, I want to see something new. I want to see how people think outside of a sleepy small town. I want to see what it's like to be in an urban healthcare setting. I want to see what kind of illnesses and ailment people can get from fast-paced city life.
5) Curriculum. This is pretty much just for me I think, but I like some of the additions and improvement in COMP's classes. There are things like Interprofessional Education. I don't know how effective the class will be but I firmly believe that I'll never be a proper doctor unless I can work effectively with people from other professions. They're working case-studies and such into the curriculum (which is making people cry, but that's another topic of discussion entirely - I tried the mock-PBL session at LECOM and thought it was ridiculously fun. Kind of like playing "House: The Game."). They have Standardized Patients, and it's not a once-in-a-while thing - I feel like I see them enough to be getting some real practice off of them. We're only doing basic things so far but I'm beginning to get a feel for what a doctor's visit is supposed to be like - how I'm supposed to manage my time, what basics I should be thinking about, etc.
ANYWAY.
My point is that you should do some more research. If you decide that COMP is okay and you have some extra cash and time, I'd suggest just coming for the interview. You'll never know otherwise.
I'll end by saying that the cost of living in Cali is.. yes, it's higher. Rent is higher, anyway. Gas is ~$3.00 right now. Utilities feel about the same, although most apartments here charge for stuff like sewer and garbage (never happens in Michigan). Tuition... well, yeah. It'll hurt. However, I did my own calculations and found that if you're willing to not do things like, say, buy a Mercedes right when you finish residency, you will be fine. You will be able to pay your loan and have a solid chunk left over. If you can get a loan from your family or save and not use loans to pay for your first year living costs, that'll help a lot as well.
So, since the only other important thing to pay for besides those things is food, I'll talk about that.
1) If you shop at the usual American chain groceries, it's going to hurt. Milk in Michigan is under $2/gal. I think it might even be $1.75 usually. At Albertson's here, it's ~$4. Go to an Asian or Mexican market (or an American chain in a heavily Asian/Mexican area) and you'll find that the food is not only sometimes better, but you'll find a ton of awesome ethnic items, and they'll all be cheaper. Seriously. Produce at HMart (a huge Korean supermarket) is absurdly fresh and cheap. Chorizo is made in-house at Jimenez Carniceria for $3 or less / lb (5 links).
2) Restaurants aren't too expensive. I think that there are just too many of them, so they have to be reasonably priced and GOOD or nobody will go. You can eat really well for $10. If you're adventurous, there is an endless supply of restaurants to try.
This was way longer than I wanted it to be. I need to study now.
