Wvsom

[MEDIC060406]

I was thinking of applying to WVSOM but I never hear much about that school on this site. Could anyone out there tell me the good and bad about WVSOM?

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[SargonZ]

I applied to and interviewed at WVSOM - it is a very nice school from what I gathered. They have two tracks - traditional and PBL. The PBL track accepts a little more than 20 students a year; the traditional track obviously takes more. The students here all seemed very happy with their choice of school, though I was visiting in October, so maybe they just hadn't had a chance to get stressed out yet.

As a Yankee I was surprised to learn that WV gets a fair amount of snow in the winter - silly me, I think of the South as being nothing but warm.
The town where the school is located is VERY small. EVERYONE knows EVERYTHING about you there - this is not a place for the claustrophobic.
"Downtown" is a very small but quaint area, though faculty will admit that the local shops are aimed more at tourists, who come in the summer for golf and in the fall to see the foliage changing. The only stores frequented regularly by the students (so I'm told) are the Walmart and the Big K-Mart. However, the drives to these places is absolutely beautiful - if you love gorgeous scenery this is absolutely the place for you.

Rural medicine seems to be given particular emphasis here, with perhaps obvious reason. The PBL track is ideal for non-traditional learners who feel that classroom time just doesn't do as much for them as independent study. Students collaborate in smaller learning groups and have the high board scores to prove that this alternate learning route can be just as effective as the more traditional route.

Ultimately I got rejected from WVSOM because my science grades were too low. I also think they were a bit concerned with how I, a native New Yorker, would fit into small-town life in WV. I think I could have been quite happy there, but everything happens for a reason.

So there you have it. One interviewee's take on WVSOM. (Oh, and the positively bubbly woman who takes care of interviewees is a gem. I wish I could remember her name now.)

Hope that helps,

Sara
TUCOM Class of 2008

 

[DORoe]

WVSOM has a lot of positives as well as negatives. I will start with the positives. It has a absolutely fantastic anatomy lab (as well as a very nice anatomy professor). As the last poster said if you like outdoor activities this place is really beautiful. The students seem very friendly and from what I gathered from talking with them they are not overly competitive with one another. The administration and people at the school seem very helpful. The cost of living is very low. I believe it has a strong tie to the surrounding community (as the school would have to be the reason that the town exists at all). I have known some docs that graduated from there and they are all of a high quality.

Now for the negatives. To get there you seriously have to go to the middle of nowhere and hang a left. If you are looking for any type of nightlife or shopping I would say you are going to be out of luck (although I believe there are a few bars in town). While the anatomy lab is really nice I wasn't impressed with the rest of the school. It is very expensive for out of state applicants.

My overall feeling about the school after my interview was very positive. I may very well have decided to go there if my in-state school would not have accepted me. If you don't mind the rural location and small town life I think you will be happy here. BTW, despite what people say about WV it really is a great state. I mean they have great whitewater rafting, good fishing, mountains, skiiing, and the people are very nice (although some are hillbillies).

 

[Aaron Earles]

I was thinking of applying to WVSOM but I never hear much about that school on this site. Could anyone out there tell me the good and bad about WVSOM?

Hey MEDIC,

I would like to ask you a question. Where are you from? I think that is an important question due to the very high tuition for out of state residents. I am from southern West Virginia, and applied to WVSOM a couple of times. I interviewed there in October of this year and was accepted March 1.

The anatomy lab is second to none. It is the nicest, cleanest lab that I have ever seen. The fumes are almost non-existant in the lab. They just finished remodeling the first and second year classrooms and updated them with wireless internet connection. They have a very nice library facilities and the bookstore is on campus. BTW, The medical school is the only institution there, and no undergraduate or graduate school is affiliated with the medical school. The Robert C. Byrd Clinic is a "family practice" clinic on the campus of the school and is virtually brand new. You also get to start seeing patients your first semester at WVSOM (under supervision) which I feel is important. The admissions staff is simply wonderful. I actually sat in the Problem based learning class and it was fantastic. Oh, btw, the lady in Admissions that the previous poster mentioned, her name is Carol Berger and she has to be the nicest person I have ever met. She would be happy to talk with you and answer any questions or concerns you have about the school. The school building is old, and was renovated from the old Greenbrier Military Academy in 1976. It is a great school. They do focus heavily on Primary Care, whatever you do, in your interview, dont tell them that you want to specialize!

Being from WV, I could tell you quite a bit about Lewisburg and the surrounding area. The above posters bring up a lot of good points. I will give you a heads up on the "shopping" in the area. Lewisburg is a very, very small town located in southeastern WV. The shops in town are geared to the tourist, but if you like outdoor recreation, this could be a great location for you. White water rafting, fishing, golfing, skiiing, hiking, boating, and other recreational favorites are within a few minutes of Lewisburg. Lewisburg does have a Wal-Mart and a K-Mart. There are a couple of nice restaurants and an Applebys's I think. HOWEVER, with a one hour drive of Lewisburg is Beckley, WV. This is a fairly large town with several malls and other shopping opportunities, and the drive is all on 70 mph interstate, so it would only take about 50 minutes to an hour.

Within a 90 minute drive is the capital of WV, Charleston. It is a city with more than 200,000 people in it (in WV, that is a big metro). There are two huge malls in charleston and plenty of restaurants. There is also a gigantic movie theater in charleston, at the Southridge Plaza. Roanoke, VA, is also about 80 to 90 minutes away from Lewisburg and has several shopping malls as well.

I know some more about the school if you have specific questions. I would be happy to answer them for you. Also, I know quite a bit about PCSOM as well. WVSOM's website is www.wvsom.edu. This is a great site and will answer a lot of your questions.

Feel free to email me or PM me with more questions or comments. Good luck to you Medic.

Aaron

 

[rchrest1]

Aaron, I think you know more about my school than I do! Good luck this fall!

 

[Aaron Earles]

Aaron, I think you know more about my school than I do! Good luck this fall!

Yeah, I applied there three times before I finally got accepted. Lewisburg is a great school. I appreciate the good luck blessings. Take care Rob. Thanks for the chat!

Aaron