WVSOM - comments on this school?

[medschool01]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if you have any comments on WVSOM - What i heard is that this school puts on a quite a show for incoming students to show them how nice they are and everything but as the year goes on, I heard that you realize their true colors. I also heard that they are trying to take more students so that they can get more money and become private - now they are under West virginia medical school (MD school) and they hate listening to them. Some students mentioned that this school is so expensive and they don't help you at all when you really need their help. I guess I heard more negatives than positives from students who have already went to this school.

Please give me your input - i would really appreciate that

Thank you

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[jaschar]

Whoever made those comments is misinformed. WVSOM is not under any other school, their faculty and staff are helpful if you approach them, and they do charge more tuition compared to some other schools but they spend their money on resources for students. They provide you with a free laptop, state-of-the-art technology in the classrooms, one of a kind anatomy and clinical skills facilities, robotic patient simulators, trained standardized patients, free board prep courses such as kaplan, free board prep exams, free PDAs and software for 3rd/4th year, etc.....and these are in addition to all the "typical" resources you would get at other schools...by the way if you thought that the admission department put on a show for you let me tell you that they are really that nice all the time...

As long as you follow your coursework, focus on your training, and behave in a professional manner you will enjoy your time at WVSOM...hope this helps.

 

[DocEspana]

all I know is WVSOM is a punchline. No really. It is. I do not fully understand why. Every thing I read about them has a different scathing comment from one of the students; but since every one of the complaints is completely different, I can't tell you whcih of them are legit and which are people making a mountain out of a molehill.

I can tell you that it is a school that puts out doctors. In a lot of senses that is all you need to know. I can also tell you every school has issues and every schools students think they are much worse than anyone else. I've had arguments with Columbia and Cornell kids that tried to convince me I had it better than they did because of how poorly run their schools are. Cornell. And, yes, that Columbia. WVSOM just has the pleasure of having some well viewed and well remembered complaints that sort of stuck with them. It happens.

As for people on here will use your med school as a punch line? Get a thick skin and you wont care.

 

[Concubine]

...

 

[kaiserZoeZay]

Current WVSOM student here. First off WVSOM is an independent state school meaning it does give preference to WV residents and receives state money but it has no affiliation with any other medical school.

I would say amongist my classmates there's really only one complaint. High tuition. That said we do get every bell and whistle. Fancy desk chairs, laptops, laptop backpacks, wireless Internet (indoor & out), private gym and basketball court, 24 hr access to all buildings, top of the line anatomy labs, digital micro lab, recorded lectures, one board review series (this year they did kaplan but that may change), easy access to professors, they even give you money to buy an iPad (or similar device) for rotations. Also with the laptop they totally cover any problem with the computer. That goes for software not working properly to you backed over it with your car(that literally happened and the student had a new computer by the end of the day with no extra cost). You could complain about not getting books but honestly the instructors that the school has held onto will provide every bit of information you need to know so you really don't have to waste too much time with books(except use of BRS for practice questions and board review materials). It's very expensive school but the numbers are good, I think just the board pass rate is right about 85-90% on the first try and only ~10% don't make it through the school. Nothing is free but most times you get what you pay for.

All that said I'm really happy I endend up at WVSOM. I had two other options in the Midwest but liked that at WVSOM the only program the administrators cared about were the med students. I'd say we all seem to be in high spirits most days (when I looked at other schools I didn't notice this). But make up your mind when you visit and compare it to other places.

 

[medschool01]

Hey everyone,

I really appreciate all your comments - I was wondering how OPP department is at this school. I heard that in other schools, some OPP departments are really strict and they expect a lot out of you even in your first year.

Thank you

 

[medschool01]

Hey,

I agree with what you said about all the things that they provide to students but it seems like other schools also provide all these things to their students yet their tuition is not as high as west virginia school.

I feel that education in general is really expensive these days especially medical education - so I don't think it's fair to make it even more expensive than needed. I understand it is a business and everyone wants to make profit but there is a fine line between making a profit and greediness.

Whoever made those comments is misinformed. WVSOM is not under any other school, their faculty and staff are helpful if you approach them, and they do charge more tuition compared to some other schools but they spend their money on resources for students. They provide you with a free laptop, state-of-the-art technology in the classrooms, one of a kind anatomy and clinical skills facilities, robotic patient simulators, trained standardized patients, free board prep courses such as kaplan, free board prep exams, free PDAs and software for 3rd/4th year, etc.....and these are in addition to all the "typical" resources you would get at other schools...by the way if you thought that the admission department put on a show for you let me tell you that they are really that nice all the time...

As long as you follow your coursework, focus on your training, and behave in a professional manner you will enjoy your time at WVSOM...hope this helps.

 

[HappyDO]

Medical school is expensive.

Out of State Tuition
AZCOM 47,742
CCOM 49,219
MSU 73,731
NYCOM 44,405
UMDNJ-SOM 49,657
UNECOM 44,900
WESTERN U 45,385

Almost every other DO school is in the low 40,000’s. I would guess that these other schools I have named have higher cost of living too so they are essentially the same if not more expensive than WVSOM. Just my thought process in regards to the tuition.

 

[mbh11]

Gotta throw in my two cents, whatever it's worth..

WVSOM is definitely a great school, my brother and his wife both graduated there a year ago and are just finishing their second year of ER residency. I got accepted there as well but decided to go to KCUMB because it's closer to my home state of TX and I'm married..

But from what I know from my brother's experiences and the many times I've been there myself, it's an all around quality school. The facilities are amazing, state of the art anatomy lab and one of the best in the country, osteopathic and allopathic, the campus is gorgeous. Faculty there is super nice, so whatever you're hearing about "true colors" coming out, I think you may be misinformed. If the school weren't so dang far from TX and out in the middle of backwoods WV, I would've gone there for sure. But don't get me wrong, the town of Lewisburg is pretty awesome.

 

[OMG Lizards]

The school is awesome and Costco is only 2 hours away for weekend restocking trips.

If you need to live IN an urban area then it might not be the best choice for you. For me it's got all that's been said above plus a river and two skateparks, what more do you need?

 

[Everglide]

Medical school is expensive.

Out of State Tuition
AZCOM 47,742
CCOM 49,219
MSU 73,731
NYCOM 44,405
UMDNJ-SOM 49,657
UNECOM 44,900
WESTERN U 45,385

Almost every other DO school is in the low 40,000’s. I would guess that these other schools I have named have higher cost of living too so they are essentially the same if not more expensive than WVSOM. Just my thought process in regards to the tuition.

Unless you're getting in-state rates from one of the above schools.. then 40k is expensive.

 

[medschool01]

Hey everyone,

I am just really disheartened about how education is getting more expensive as days go by and it is really disappointing to see students not being able to chase their dreams due to financial matters and struggle to make something of themselves. Why does everything has to be about making money? Please don't misunderstand me - Money IS really important and you need it to survive in this world, but it's the greediness and selfishness that is growing everyday. I am sorry to vent like this but I just felt like sharing this with you since we are all in the same boat in terms of career path which is an expensive path.

I am sure I will hear different perspectives about this matter and I am glad to hear them - may be I will learn something from hearing different sides.

Thank you for listening to me

 

[kcin]

it doesnt come out of your tuition or pocket at all. just ask military students. the military WILL NOT under any circumstance pay for the purchase of a new computer, even if its included in the price of tuition. every military student in my class (including myself) got a new lap top. it came out of their pocket

Where do you think they got their money? This thread is ridiculous. You guys talking about all this "free" stuff are a bunch of simpletons.

 

[medschool01]

I understand what you mean when you talk about "free" stuff - there is no such thing as "free" stuff these days.

Where do you think they got their money? This thread is ridiculous. You guys talking about all this "free" stuff are a bunch of simpletons.

 

[DocEspana]

Where do you think they got their money? This thread is ridiculous. You guys talking about all this "free" stuff are a bunch of simpletons.

Let me extrapolate for you. If the army was really going to not pay for a laptop it would not pay for $1500 (or whatever) of the tuition since its clearly for the laptop. But schools know enough that if given groups will pay for tuition then they will merge different expenses into tuition to make the groups pay for it.

A good example is my school where for various reasons people complained about the fees (lets say they are $2,000). Lots of legitimate complaints about them ranging from their not clear where exactly they go, to why are they so expensive, to quite a few people complaining that they had a tuition scholarship award but it wouldn't cover any fees. So the school simply made the fees $2,000 less (aka zero) and made tuition $2,000 more this year. It sounds stupid/slimy, but actually people love it. The people who wanted to know where the money went stopped asking (I dont totally get why) and the people who had tuition scholarships suddenly didnt have to pay the fees since it was now all tuition.

Probably a similar situation. When you pay that much in tuition, its clearly not all overhead and salaries. Its directly paying for perks.

 

[DocEspana]

interesting.....but wvsom actually decreased tuition by about 2k a little while ago. it was a little over 50 and they wanted to bring it under, while 49k isnt much under 50 they still brought it down

<shrug> I got nothing. I was just pointing out how school will rearrange costs to make sure that organizations, like the army, will pay for as much as the students need them too. Good to know school tuitions can go down. I haven't had the joy of seeing any tuition go down my whole life.

 

[EmmaNemma]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if you have any comments on WVSOM - What i heard is that this school puts on a quite a show for incoming students to show them how nice they are and everything but as the year goes on, I heard that you realize their true colors. I also heard that they are trying to take more students so that they can get more money and become private - now they are under West virginia medical school (MD school) and they hate listening to them. Some students mentioned that this school is so expensive and they don't help you at all when you really need their help. I guess I heard more negatives than positives from students who have already went to this school.

Please give me your input - i would really appreciate that

Thank you

They are really just a bunch of unwashed hill-billies. Go to one of the MD school in WV if you want to live in that state.

 

[medschool01]

Hey - thanks for making me laugh! but is that really true??

They are really just a bunch of unwashed hill-billies. Go to one of the MD school in WV if you want to live in that state.

 

[MrBeauregard]

Why would you even ask if such a statement were true? Do you really believe that a medical school would be full of unwashed hillbillies?

As a student of WVSOM, I can speak with authority on this subject. WVSOM is a great school. As kaiserZoeZay has already pointed out (a few posts down), our school provides us with wonderful facilities and an amazing faculty roster. Sure, we pay for what we get, but nothing is free these days. I consider it a pro to go to a school with nice facilities because it makes my life easier. Our faculty are all here for us and extremely helpful when we need them. I have yet to encounter a professor who simply brushed me off because they were too busy doing something else. Each one I have approached has dropped what they were doing and helped me in any way they could.

As for the other MD schools in the state, there is WVUSOM and Marshall University. I have heard that both of them are great schools. I have two friends who attend WVUSOM and they both like it a lot. I cannot speak any more on either of those schools, but I'm sure there are at least a few people on these forums that can.

Basically, if you want information on a school, try not to listen to the "hearsay", as it is typically way off base (as is much of what you said about WVSOM in your original post). Seek out those who can speak on the subject, as you have here, so that you will be better informed and can make better decisions for yourself.

If you have more questions, feel free to PM (personal message) me.

Beau

 

[Total180]

Let me extrapolate for you. If the army was really going to not pay for a laptop it would not pay for $1500 (or whatever) of the tuition since its clearly for the laptop. But schools know enough that if given groups will pay for tuition then they will merge different expenses into tuition to make the groups pay for it.

A good example is my school where for various reasons people complained about the fees (lets say they are $2,000). Lots of legitimate complaints about them ranging from their not clear where exactly they go, to why are they so expensive, to quite a few people complaining that they had a tuition scholarship award but it wouldn't cover any fees. So the school simply made the fees $2,000 less (aka zero) and made tuition $2,000 more this year. It sounds stupid/slimy, but actually people love it. The people who wanted to know where the money went stopped asking (I dont totally get why) and the people who had tuition scholarships suddenly didnt have to pay the fees since it was now all tuition.

Probably a similar situation. When you pay that much in tuition, its clearly not all overhead and salaries. Its directly paying for perks.

I think it is the same thing as paying fees for luggage at the airport. If you aren't aware you are paying it (it's included in tuition or included in the price of an airline ticket) you don't mind paying it because your attention isn't brought directly to it.

 

[EmmaNemma]

Why would you even ask if such a statement were true? Do you really believe that a medical school would be full of unwashed hillbillies?

As a student of WVSOM, I can speak with authority on this subject. WVSOM is a great school. As kaiserZoeZay has already pointed out (a few posts down), our school provides us with wonderful facilities and an amazing faculty roster. Sure, we pay for what we get, but nothing is free these days. I consider it a pro to go to a school with nice facilities because it makes my life easier. Our faculty are all here for us and extremely helpful when we need them. I have yet to encounter a professor who simply brushed me off because they were too busy doing something else. Each one I have approached has dropped what they were doing and helped me in any way they could.

As for the other MD schools in the state, there is WVUSOM and Marshall University. I have heard that both of them are great schools. I have two friends who attend WVUSOM and they both like it a lot. I cannot speak any more on either of those schools, but I'm sure there are at least a few people on these forums that can.

Basically, if you want information on a school, try not to listen to the "hearsay", as it is typically way off base (as is much of what you said about WVSOM in your original post). Seek out those who can speak on the subject, as you have here, so that you will be better informed and can make better decisions for yourself.

If you have more questions, feel free to PM (personal message) me.

Beau

I was just kidding. Southern folk can be some of the nicest people. You will have a good time at that school if you go with the right mindset.

 

[OMG Lizards]

I was just kidding. Southern folk can be some of the nicest people. You will have a good time at that school if you go with the right mindset.

WV isn't in the south. In fact, the whole reason for it's statehood is that this area specifically did not want to join the south. Geographically portions of WV extend farther north than New York City.

Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee I'll buy. WV southern? Nah. People are nice though.

 

[DocEspana]

Geographically portions of WV extend farther north than New York City.

I must learn if this is true.

Northern most point in WV is 40 35'. Southern most point in New York (state, not city) is 40 35'.

Bricks were shat.

 

[OMG Lizards]

I must learn if this is true.

Northern most point in WV is 40 35'. Southern most point in New York (state, not city) is 40 35'.

Bricks were shat.

It's cool, I've met people in Ohio that self identify as southerners. I kinda think that if your state borders Canada you lose your claim to the South.

Besides, the real south is awesome. Birmingham, Nashville, ATL...if you wanna be southern, go to the real deal.

Back to Lewisburg, there is a confederate cemetery in town and I was so shocked when I got there and saw that somebody had place the actual Confederate flag on the mound. Everyone that seems to claim southern heritage drives around with the wrong flag on their car. Pretty much says that everything they know about the confederacy they learned from the Dukes of Hazzard. It was good to see someone get it right.

 

[pancakesyrup]

Medical school is expensive.

Out of State Tuition
AZCOM 47,742
CCOM 49,219
MSU 73,731
NYCOM 44,405
UMDNJ-SOM 49,657
UNECOM 44,900
WESTERN U 45,385

Almost every other DO school is in the low 40,000's. I would guess that these other schools I have named have higher cost of living too so they are essentially the same if not more expensive than WVSOM. Just my thought process in regards to the tuition.

LECOM is 29K/year. TCOM is 30K/year for out of state students. Those are the two DO schools that I intend to consider.

MSU is extortionate.

 

[medschool01]

LECOM offers the best tuition ever!! sounds fair!!

LECOM is 29K/year. TCOM is 30K/year for out of state students. Those are the two DO schools that I intend to consider.

MSU is extortionate.

 

[DORAY]

I interviewed at TCOM and after the cost of living their budget turned out to be higher than WVSOM. You have to take into account where the school is as well.

 

[Special Delivery]

Comments on WVSOM-
1. The faculty are ridiculously nice. I cannot overstate that.
2. The anatomy lab is awesome. The lecture hall is equally nice. The gym is nice (albeit no pool) and the new student center being built will probably be awesome, too.

Comments on Lewisburg-
I moved from Atlanta and was pleasantly surprised by the town. The people are all very friendly and the school has a very good reputation. It's peaceful, but there is always something going on.

 

[SunnK11610]

.

 

[Styria]

it doesnt come out of your tuition or pocket at all. just ask military students. the military WILL NOT under any circumstance pay for the purchase of a new computer, even if its included in the price of tuition. every military student in my class (including myself) got a new lap top. it came out of their pocket

Schools that provide a laptop to students as part of their tuition by making the laptop part of a large technology fee and technically a 'rental.' Students at my school who fail out have to give the laptop back, and graduates were able to buy theirs at its depreciated value.

The military WILL pay for rented computer equipment.

 

[Jay2910]

Current WVSOM student here. First off WVSOM is an independent state school meaning it does give preference to WV residents and receives state money but it has no affiliation with any other medical school.

I would say amongist my classmates there's really only one complaint. High tuition. That said we do get every bell and whistle. Fancy desk chairs, laptops, laptop backpacks, wireless Internet (indoor & out), private gym and basketball court, 24 hr access to all buildings, top of the line anatomy labs, digital micro lab, recorded lectures, one board review series (this year they did kaplan but that may change), easy access to professors, they even give you money to buy an iPad (or similar device) for rotations. Also with the laptop they totally cover any problem with the computer. That goes for software not working properly to you backed over it with your car(that literally happened and the student had a new computer by the end of the day with no extra cost). You could complain about not getting books but honestly the instructors that the school has held onto will provide every bit of information you need to know so you really don't have to waste too much time with books(except use of BRS for practice questions and board review materials). It's very expensive school but the numbers are good, I think just the board pass rate is right about 85-90% on the first try and only ~10% don't make it through the school. Nothing is free but most times you get what you pay for.

All that said I'm really happy I endend up at WVSOM. I had two other options in the Midwest but liked that at WVSOM the only program the administrators cared about were the med students. I'd say we all seem to be in high spirits most days (when I looked at other schools I didn't notice this). But make up your mind when you visit and compare it to other places.

Why would you even ask if such a statement were true? Do you really believe that a medical school would be full of unwashed hillbillies?

As a student of WVSOM, I can speak with authority on this subject. WVSOM is a great school. As kaiserZoeZay has already pointed out (a few posts down), our school provides us with wonderful facilities and an amazing faculty roster. Sure, we pay for what we get, but nothing is free these days. I consider it a pro to go to a school with nice facilities because it makes my life easier. Our faculty are all here for us and extremely helpful when we need them. I have yet to encounter a professor who simply brushed me off because they were too busy doing something else. Each one I have approached has dropped what they were doing and helped me in any way they could.

As for the other MD schools in the state, there is WVUSOM and Marshall University. I have heard that both of them are great schools. I have two friends who attend WVUSOM and they both like it a lot. I cannot speak any more on either of those schools, but I'm sure there are at least a few people on these forums that can.

Basically, if you want information on a school, try not to listen to the "hearsay", as it is typically way off base (as is much of what you said about WVSOM in your original post). Seek out those who can speak on the subject, as you have here, so that you will be better informed and can make better decisions for yourself.

If you have more questions, feel free to PM (personal message) me.

Beau

Supposing you were to deny the extra perks that were being offered to you( ex: laptops, the gym membership) . . .would your tuition decrease?

Also, I have a question on their current curriculum. What exactly is PPC supposed to be? Is it anything at all like PBL?
What is the advantage of PPC opposed to the traditional education? Do they teach you, for example, how to interpret patient data?

3) If your interview is in the afternoon . . .are you being judged all throughout the morning by other WVSOM staff?

 

[*Kitsune*]

.

 

[mrbillbrasky]

PPC is just a way they correlate the lecture material into a clinical presentation. It's nothing too in-depth, usually not specifically test material, just something to get us in the clinical mindset. They have a case intro with new sections as well as a wrap-up after mostly everything in that section is covered. We do have TBL sessions every 2 weeks or so and they may or may not be the a case presentation. I'm glad the TBLs aren't every week, while they are great group exercises they can also be a waste of time when there are plenty of other things on our plate.

 

[mrbillbrasky]

Also, you cannot opt-out of the laptops. I was glad this was the case as I would have used my home laptop. The school owns it until graduation and covers all repairs. There is no fee that I know of upon graduation, it just becomes the property of the student. Same for the gym, no opt-out that I know of. Also a good thing IMO.
As far as being 'watched' on interview day, it should go without saying that the entire day is an interview, but understand nobody there is out to get you. The staff really does care, the admissions department are genuinely nice people and they are not putting up any facade. I'm a first year and could not be happier with my decision to attend WVSOM.

 

[Siggy]

3) If your interview is in the afternoon . . .are you being judged all throughout the morning by other WVSOM staff?

I would imagine that it's a safe bet that you are being judged when ever you are on campus during an interview... regardless of the school. No school is going to say, "Damn, that guy was a douche, but hey, we can't hold it against him because he had to be here longer than other interviewees today!"