WCU vs CUSOM

Accepted to both but need help deciding. As far as living, I am easy as long as theres some stuff to do nearby and a gym lol. I want to match competitive, definitely surgical as far as specifics, idk yet.

WCU-COM:

Pros: • Lower tuition and overall cost of attendance compared to CUSOM. Also may have more things to do nearby since in a college town • No mandatory attendance for lectures, allowing for flexible studying. • School-paid access to UWorld and other study resources to aid in board prep. • More relaxed dress code. • Strong focus on primary care and rural medicine, but still has students matching into competitive specialties.

Cons: • Fewer research opportunities, which could be a disadvantage for competitive surgical specialties. • Clinical sites are mostly in smaller towns may limit me (Idk)

• Match lists tend to favor primary care over surgical specialties, but last few classes have decent surgical matches

CUSOM:

Pros: • Strong clinical rotations in North Carolina, i • Better-established residency connections, especially for competitive specialties. They have affiliated residency, unsure if wcu does

• More research opportunities compared to WCU-COM, which could help for a competitive specialty.
• Located near Raleigh, offering better networking and lifestyle opportunities.

Cons: • Higher tuition and cost of living. • I think most students live 20 min away, town is smaller • i think rotations sites are random? Not 10% sure

Since I’m aiming for a surgical specialty, I want to ensure I attend a school that gives me the best shot at strong rotations, research, and a solid board prep strategy. Both schools have their strengths, so I’d love to hear from anyone with insight into their clinical training and match success for surgery!