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Hi all,
I just wanted to get some outside perspective on the decision I am facing. I have been accepted to Wake Forest and ended up choosing it over other acceptances for the April 30th deadline. However, I also got accepted to my in-state school, East Carolina (Brody), today. Below are some pros and cons of each:
WF
Pros
-Much better ranked
-Better name recognition
-Good match list for a variety of specialties
-Generally more interesting, more competitive group of peers (i.e. come from all across the country)
-Better Step 1 Scores (just re-did curriculum, saw jump in Step 1 scores; really solid Step 1 preparation)
-Better inter-class collegiality
-Loved students/faculty I met there, both during interviews and Second Look
Cons
-More expensive school (~150k all in for me)
-No connections there yet, so getting into research would be tougher
-Caught between Level 1 Trauma Centers in Triangle/Charlotte, fewer high acuity cases at WF
ECU
Pros
-Much less expensive as it is in-state
-Smaller classes (more individual attention?)
-Great, existing support structure in Greenville already
-Trauma center for entire eastern NC, more diverse case set
-Special curriculum track to do quality improvement research in my field of choice
-Academically more likely to be in top of class (I have no idea, just more likely at ECU vs WF...)
Cons
-Worse Step 1 scores (not great preparation)
-Peers at ECU aren’t as objectively high achieving (i.e. undergrad institutions, academic preparedness, etc.)
-Match list oriented towards primary care (I’m more interested in specialties, including competitive ones)
-Not ranked
-Greenville…eh…
Anyways, I realize that both are really fine schools and my cons are not meant to be mean, they are just factors that I am personally considering. I don’t want to be the world’s next great research physician but I do want to keep the option open for some competitive specialties. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers!
I just wanted to get some outside perspective on the decision I am facing. I have been accepted to Wake Forest and ended up choosing it over other acceptances for the April 30th deadline. However, I also got accepted to my in-state school, East Carolina (Brody), today. Below are some pros and cons of each:
WF
Pros
-Much better ranked
-Better name recognition
-Good match list for a variety of specialties
-Generally more interesting, more competitive group of peers (i.e. come from all across the country)
-Better Step 1 Scores (just re-did curriculum, saw jump in Step 1 scores; really solid Step 1 preparation)
-Better inter-class collegiality
-Loved students/faculty I met there, both during interviews and Second Look
Cons
-More expensive school (~150k all in for me)
-No connections there yet, so getting into research would be tougher
-Caught between Level 1 Trauma Centers in Triangle/Charlotte, fewer high acuity cases at WF
ECU
Pros
-Much less expensive as it is in-state
-Smaller classes (more individual attention?)
-Great, existing support structure in Greenville already
-Trauma center for entire eastern NC, more diverse case set
-Special curriculum track to do quality improvement research in my field of choice
-Academically more likely to be in top of class (I have no idea, just more likely at ECU vs WF...)
Cons
-Worse Step 1 scores (not great preparation)
-Peers at ECU aren’t as objectively high achieving (i.e. undergrad institutions, academic preparedness, etc.)
-Match list oriented towards primary care (I’m more interested in specialties, including competitive ones)
-Not ranked
-Greenville…eh…
Anyways, I realize that both are really fine schools and my cons are not meant to be mean, they are just factors that I am personally considering. I don’t want to be the world’s next great research physician but I do want to keep the option open for some competitive specialties. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers!
