WVSOM vs UNECOM

[mavikedi]

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Hello everyone! I was wondering if I could get some opinions helping me with this decision!

My research so far...
WVSOM:
>50k/year
>slightly higher cost of living than UNECOM?
>well-established
>no mandatory attendance
>classes very casual/no dress code
>mix of lecture-based and tbl
>rotation sites mainly located in wvsom but some in maryland, ohio & 1 in NY
>lots of robots
>solely a medical campus which I like
>#12 in FM, #17 in rural med so says U.S. News (does this even mean anything??)
>above national avg first time pass rates for COMLEX but not as high as UNECOM

UNECOM
>52k/year
>mandatory attendance
>curriculum seems to be changing a lot?
>rotation sites located all across the north east
>next to the ocean
>mixed with an undergrad university which is meh :/
>I think UNECOM is also highly rated by U.S. News in FM and rural med
>higher first time pass rates for COMLEX than WVSOM
>closer to bigger cities
>lobster
>help

Honestly, I couldn't find tons of info on UNECOM and I'm just a little confused at this point. So any direction or suggestions would be great! Thanks!

 

[Oh_Gee]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if I could get some opinions helping me with this decision!

My research so far...
WVSOM:
>50k/year
>slightly higher cost of living than UNECOM?
>well-established
>no mandatory attendance
>classes very casual/no dress code
>mix of lecture-based and tbl
>rotation sites mainly located in wvsom but some in maryland, ohio & 1 in NY
>lots of robots
>solely a medical campus which I like
>#12 in FM, #17 in rural med so says U.S. News (does this even mean anything??)
>above national avg first time pass rates for COMLEX but not as high as UNECOM

UNECOM
>52k/year
>mandatory attendance
>curriculum seems to be changing a lot?
>rotation sites located all across the north east
>next to the ocean
>mixed with an undergrad university which is meh :/
>I think UNECOM is also highly rated by U.S. News in FM and rural med
>higher first time pass rates for COMLEX than WVSOM
>closer to bigger cities
>lobster
>help

Honestly, I couldn't find tons of info on UNECOM and I'm just a little confused at this point. So any direction or suggestions would be great! Thanks!

@Mad Jack Is a UNECOM student and he was very helpful when i asked him about UNECOM

 

[Mad Jack]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if I could get some opinions helping me with this decision!

My research so far...
WVSOM:
>50k/year
>slightly higher cost of living than UNECOM?
>well-established
>no mandatory attendance
>classes very casual/no dress code
>mix of lecture-based and tbl
>rotation sites mainly located in wvsom but some in maryland, ohio & 1 in NY
>lots of robots
>solely a medical campus which I like
>#12 in FM, #17 in rural med so says U.S. News (does this even mean anything??)
>above national avg first time pass rates for COMLEX but not as high as UNECOM

UNECOM
>52k/year
>mandatory attendance
>curriculum seems to be changing a lot?
>rotation sites located all across the north east
>next to the ocean
>mixed with an undergrad university which is meh :/
>I think UNECOM is also highly rated by U.S. News in FM and rural med
>higher first time pass rates for COMLEX than WVSOM
>closer to bigger cities
>lobster
>help

Honestly, I couldn't find tons of info on UNECOM and I'm just a little confused at this point. So any direction or suggestions would be great! Thanks!

Not all classes are mandatory. Some guest lectures are mandatory, as are weekly clinical practice conferences on Fridays during first year, but most lectures are optional. There is an unusual situation in second year this year in which there are four weeks of mandatory lecture, but that's a great exception to how things have historically been run and is only for one system, so it's not a big deal. The curriculum is always changing at most schools, so that's something you should just get used to the idea of- everyone's always trying to be innovative. As to the US News ranking, it's meaningless, just goes by how many students match into primary care from a given school each year and a few other factors. If you're interested in primary care, any DO school will do fine.

Robots, for the record, are wastes of time, aside from when you're practicing telemedicine. Sim labs are less useful than standardized patients, which are infinitely less useful than real patients. You'll learn more in a week on the wards than you'll learn from ever SP and robot you ever work with in first and second year, they're just fancy things schools like to show off that really don't mean a whole hell of a lot in the long run. UNE has a few mandatory dress code days- any day when we have a prominent guest lecturer or patient come in to speak to the class, basically. That happens a lot in first year, but much less so in second year. You'll have maybe one day a week where you've got to dress up for two or three hours. First year is kind of a pain like that- you'll be wearing scrubs in the morning two days a week for anatomy lab, gym clothes two other days of the week for OMM lab, and formal clothes most Friday afternoons for guest speakers. But actual lectures are both casual and not mandatory, so they aren't a big deal, and they'll comprise the bulk of your class time. CBL is similarly chill, and the general atmosphere of the school is a good balance of relaxed most of the time but professional when it's appropriate.

I'd look at your training sites and the schools OPTI to see if there's any residencies you want from either, as well as where you'll be spending third year. Here's WVSOM's:
http://msopti.wvsom.edu/Hospitals/hospitals-home
http://www.wvsom.edu/sites/default/files/u16/CollegeCatalog.2014-15.Final_.pdf
Match info is on p27, only info I've got on their match stats.

Here's UNE's:
http://www.une.edu/com/predoc/clerkships/clinical-campuses
http://www.une.edu/com/predoc/clerkships/postgraduate-training
http://www.une.edu/com/opti/members
http://www.une.edu/com/admissions/information/graduate-medical-education-and-comlex-results

 

[mavikedi]

@Mad Jack Thanks for the reply! I really appreciate your time 🙂

Did it bother you at all to be sharing a campus with undergrads?
Also, do you find that most people go to the OPTI's affiliated with their schools or do students generally end up everywhere and anywhere for residencies?

 

[Mad Jack]

@Mad Jack Thanks for the reply! I really appreciate your time 🙂

Did it bother you at all to be sharing a campus with undergrads?
Also, do you find that most people go to the OPTI's affiliated with their schools or do students generally end up everywhere and anywhere for residencies?

No. You really don't even realize they're there most of the time, they kind of exist in a totally separate world. The only time I ever notice them is when it's tougher to find a parking space at the start of each semester. They've never bothered me other than that.

As to the OPTI thing, most go everywhere and anywhere. But OPTI connections can help you get some residencies, particularly the more competitive ones within your OPTI. We snag a few of the Kent spots and likely a spot or two at Berkshire's surgery program each year, for instance.