Medical College of Wisconsin

Comments about Medical College of Wisconsin:

MCW is really a hidden gem, often overlooked program in the heart of the midwest. Here is a breakdown of the individual factors as I see them:Training: We commonly joked that at UW Madison they can tell you why the patient is sick, and at MCW we can tell you what to do about it. In other words, basic science is probably stronger up there (though still probably better than average at MCW) and the clinical years are far better at MCW. Actually Madison has a hard time with volume of patients and sends students to Milwaukee. There is a surprising number of truly exceptional award-winning clinical teachers at MCW, making the clinical training a real strength. Basic science, on the other hand, varied by subject: I would say anatomy, physiology, and pharm were all above average, embryology and biochem about par, and I didn't care for the neuroscience course.Location: Milwaukee is really a great city with lots to do, but without the crowded big-city feel of Chicago to the south. Of course, if you can't find enough to do, Chicago is just an hour and a half away. The winter is something to be reckoned with, of course, but we had folks from Louisiana and California etc who did just fine.Tuition: sucks everywhere; there is some subsidy for in-staters, but not as much as other states from what I understand.Research: in the last 7 or 8 years student research has really taken a big overhaul, with the environment now quite favorable for those who want to participate. I think at least half of students did research during the first summer off, but certainly if you have no interest you will not feel to much pressure. I ended up doing an additional research rotation my fourth year, and I think this really helped me get into a competetive residency.Match stats: We historically have had a very high rate of overall match, partly because the department of medicine is strongly committed to picking up those who don't get into more competetive fields they may try for. I think match stats for the competetive fields is about average or a little above. Like anywhere, the match has a heavy regional bias, so if you want to match on the east coast, you are better off doing med school there. I matched in Minneapolis.Other/summary: the class is a bit larger than average (about 200 per class) but we still managed to have a pretty tight knit group. All in all, I had no regrets about this program, I think it prepared me well for my USMLE and got me into a competetive field in a great location. No it's not Harvard, and don't ever let anyone tell you that prestige or name recognition don't matter (although I don't really have a Harvard personality either, and don't imagine I would have been very happy there anyway). If you are looking for solid clinical training in a reasonable location with a more laid-back feel (if that's possible in med school), MCW is a program you should consider.