CUSM vs UVM LCOM

[premed6789]

Hi,

Context: Grew up living only in Southern California. Friends and family are all in Cali. Asian

CUSM pros:
1. Close to friends and family
2. Have worked at the main teaching hospital and have connections there
3. Matchlist mainly in Cali
4. Enjoyed the second look day, liked the vibes from staff and students

CUSM Cons:
1. Newer school, the few match lists they have is good but not great
2. Not as many resources (like cadavers, etc)
3. research is expanding but not extensive yet
4. Clinical is H/HP/P/F


UVM pros:
1. Established school with good reputation and match list
2. Many resources and opportunities
3. Liked the interview vibe and staff
4. All P/F courses

UVM Con
1. I hear great things about the community but genuinely concerned as an Asian. Never lived anywhere else so I don’t even know what it is like to live in a 95% white community
2. Very far from support system
3. Weather. I have never experienced snow


COA is roughly the same for both. Cusm would only be cheaper because I would commute from home.

Basically I am leaning towards CUSM solely for the fact of comfort. But part of me feels like it would be a wasted opportunity to not try to live somewhere new, learn, meet new people. I don’t want to regret that I chose comfort over opportunity. (Yes, I can still do great things wherever if I try hard enough) But the three cons I listed for UVM are probably laughable but genuine concerns of mine as this includes not just the 4 years of school but likely residency as well.

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[ACKjp]

I don't know anything about CUSM, but as a Vermonter I can help address your UVM cons - first, VT as a whole isn't very diverse but I think you'll find that the Burlington area and especially the UVM community is quite diverse. It will not be near the level of California, but I genuinely don't think you'll notice a major difference as it is a pretty progressive area. The weather is a more legitimate concern, as the winters can be brutal. Seeing as you've never experienced snow, I would hesitate to recommend VT. Not sure what the winters are like in Cali, but in VT it is cold, windy, snowy, and the sun sets at like 4:30pm. It can be pretty depressing if you aren't one to take advantage of the outdoors.

Overall, if you want to match back to Cali and be close to support, CUSM seems like the better choice. That being said, if you are someone who makes the most out of your situation then UVM could be a way to experience something new. Everyone at Second Look was genuinely awesome and it seems like a great community.

Best of luck!

 

[premed6789]

I don't know anything about CUSM, but as a Vermonter I can help address your UVM cons - first, VT as a whole isn't very diverse but I think you'll find that the Burlington area and especially the UVM community is quite diverse. It will not be near the level of California, but I genuinely don't think you'll notice a major difference as it is a pretty progressive area. The weather is a more legitimate concern, as the winters can be brutal. Seeing as you've never experienced snow, I would hesitate to recommend VT. Not sure what the winters are like in Cali, but in VT it is cold, windy, snowy, and the sun sets at like 4:30pm. It can be pretty depressing if you aren't one to take advantage of the outdoors.

Overall, if you want to match back to Cali and be close to support, CUSM seems like the better choice. That being said, if you are someone who makes the most out of your situation then UVM could be a way to experience something new. Everyone at Second Look was genuinely awesome and it seems like a great community.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the reply! It’s reassuring to hear about the community part. I do tend to vegetate and work less on gloomier days so I guess that is a bigger thing to consider than I thought. I will definitely think about it. Thank you!