WMed vs Nova SE MD

[MedSchool2998]

I am fortunate to have two MD acceptances (WMed and Nova SE MD program). I was mostly set on attending Western Michigan and selected PTE for it. I've been impressed by WMed's friendly and supportive atmosphere, and I really like their decompressed curriculum. The program is relatively well-established now (about 10 years old). However, their tuition is very high, and their scholarship offer was less than $1K per semester.

Today, Nova SE MD offered a scholarship which essentially cuts the cost of their tuition in half (renewable for all 4 years). I also visited Nova SE MD and left with a favorable impression. However, for the above reasons, I still felt set with WMed. NSU MD only recently received full accreditation and has only graduated two classes. I haven't been able to find much information about the MD program (a couple of negative comments on Reddit but not enough to form an educated opinion). I’ve read a lot of negative comments about Nova SE’s DO program, and I’m trying to not let that affect my perception, since the MD and DO programs are completely separate. At the in-person day, the MD students and faculty seemed genuinely supportive and happy to be there.

I would love to make WMed work, but it also seems challenging to turn down this Nova SE MD scholarship. Can anyone offer insight about either/both of these programs? Does anyone have advice on best practices to reach out to a school to see if they can increase a scholarship amount?

TL;DR: Need help deciding between a more established program (Western Michigan) and a program (Nova SE MD) offering a better financial aid package.

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[EndureVascular]

I don't think the WM program is nearly as established or well know as this post would imply

If Nova MD if offering a substantial scholarship that seems like the clear cut choice

 

[MedSchool2998]

Thanks so much for the reply. I'm giving the scholarship offer a lot of consideration. I just don't want to make a rash decision either way. This has happened very last-minute, and I haven't had a chance to, for instance, understand how different the living costs would be in Fort Lauderdale vs Kalamazoo.

I'm very interested to hear from anyone who can speak to the pros and cons of either school or has personal experience with either school. Also, I would appreciate any thoughts or advice about approaching a school to see if they can offer a better financial aid package.

 

[E1520]

I would only consider WMed if you think you'll love Kalamazoo. Kalmazoo is a fairly cheap place to live, but the climate and culture between these places is much different so definitely take that into consideration. During my interviews and second look with WMed, they seemed to have a really strong pre-clinical and clinical curriculum. Students speak well of the school, and they have good board scores. But as far as being highly established, WMed is still relatively new. If you want a competitive specialty, you'll have to work hard at both schools. You might also see if any of WMed's home residency programs align with your interests (not sure about Nova's home programs). I know WMed has a strong pathology department and several other residencies.

 

[deleted1158770]

Thanks so much for the reply. I'm giving the scholarship offer a lot of consideration. I just don't want to make a rash decision either way. This has happened very last-minute, and I haven't had a chance to, for instance, understand how different the living costs would be in Fort Lauderdale vs Kalamazoo.

I'm very interested to hear from anyone who can speak to the pros and cons of either school or has personal experience with either school. Also, I would appreciate any thoughts or advice about approaching a school to see if they can offer a better financial aid package.

You can try reaching out to the financial aid office and tell them about your other financial offer.