Western Michigan vs Vermont

[neonhyena]

Hi everyone!

I'm lucky to be holding two MD A's right now, one from Western Michigan Stryker and the other from UVM Larner. I will be attending Closer Looks for both of these schools in the near future, but I was hoping to get some outside opinions/any additional information in the meantime.

Some potentially relevant background information: I do have an interest in primary care (did lots of my clinical work here), but recently I've also been thinking about hematology/oncology. Obviously I'm not decided and could definitely change my mind, but something to think about. Both of these schools are also very similarly priced in tuition since I'm OOS for UVM.

Western Michigan Stryker

Pros:

• I'm from southwest Michigan and while I wouldn't be living at home, it's not nothing to have a support system of friends and family so close by.
• Smaller class sizes -- I'm looking for strong mentorship and feel this would be easier to get at a small school.
• My favorite interview experience by far, the staff and students were all so kind and made me feel like I'd be supported there
• Decompressed curriculum -- the current students seem to love having a week off after each block, and I do think the team-based learning style here suits me. I would probably be spending more time in class, but I can procrastinate so that might force me to keep up.

Cons:

• Less established school, I'm slightly concerned that if I ended up choosing a more competitive specialty it would be harder
• Research here doesn't seem to be as strong, though I do have connections in the area
• I love the Kalamazoo area but I do know lots of people there (good and bad lol)

UVM Larner

Pros:

• More established school with a surprisingly great match list -- could be nice especially if I don't end up choosing primary care, and even if I do, they seem to have a great primary care program
• Earlier clinical exposure is always a plus
• Stronger research program (I think)
• Active learning curriculum that I'm fairly used to from undergrad
• Could be nice to experience a new place??

Cons:

• Located in a completely new area with no support system
• Larger class size (by about 40 people I believe)
• Did not vibe as much with this interview day (the staff I did interact with seemed nice though)
• Would have to move to CT for clinicals (pro in that it might be nice to be in a city environment, but a con in that uprooting myself halfway through seems a little stressful)

Summary
Overall I'm torn because I really loved my experience at Western Michigan, but Vermont might be a better choice since it's a more established school.

Thank you in advance for any help!

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[gobills123]

What's the cost difference?

 

[ACKjp]

Where do you hope to complete residency (geographically)? Stryker matches more in the Midwest, UVM in the northeast. If you do decide on a competitive specialty, UVM will make it easier to match and has home residencies in most competitive specialties which is a huge plus. Depending on the specialty, UVM also has a decent research output, too. I didn’t apply to Stryker so I’m not familiar with their curriculum, but UVM has an 18-month preclinical which is nice for always/electives.

Ultimately, if money is equal, I think the decision is between being close to family and matching in the Midwest, or being more supported for competitive residencies and matching in the Northeast. Congrats on the As!

 

[neonhyena]

What's the cost difference?

Western's tuition is about $67k whereas Vermont's is slightly cheaper at $64k, so neither significantly cheaper than the other.

 

[neonhyena]

Where do you hope to complete residency (geographically)? Stryker matches more in the Midwest, UVM in the northeast. If you do decide on a competitive specialty, UVM will make it easier to match and has home residencies in most competitive specialties which is a huge plus. Depending on the specialty, UVM also has a decent research output, too. I didn’t apply to Stryker so I’m not familiar with their curriculum, but UVM has an 18-month preclinical which is nice for always/electives.

Ultimately, if money is equal, I think the decision is between being close to family and matching in the Midwest, or being more supported for competitive residencies and matching in the Northeast. Congrats on the As!

To be completely honest, between the Midwest and northeast I'm not sure. I'm a lifelong Michigan resident so the Midwest holds a special place in my heart, but I also think the northeast sounds nice as well (I just like seasons lol).

Good points about the residencies and research, that's a big reason why I'm considering UVM especially if I do end up deciding to specialize. Stryker's preclinical is about 3 months longer than UVM's, is that something to watch out for? Thanks for all your help!

 

[ACKjp]

To be completely honest, between the Midwest and northeast I'm not sure. I'm a lifelong Michigan resident so the Midwest holds a special place in my heart, but I also think the northeast sounds nice as well (I just like seasons lol).

Good points about the residencies and research, that's a big reason why I'm considering UVM especially if I do end up deciding to specialize. Stryker's preclinical is about 3 months longer than UVM's, is that something to watch out for? Thanks for all your help!

If you like seasons, you’ll be happy in VT! We have 4 true seasons (although the winter is getting short every year) and plenty of stuff to do during them.

In regard to preclinical - personally, I think the shorter the better. It gives you more time for aways/electives and you can take Step 1 and 2 earlier (which can help gauge where you’ll do your aways).