<p>The flaws with UMKC’s program are definitely real. Something you should think about (although I personally can’t imagine knowing the answers to these questions while I was still in high school) is what specialty you want to work in and vaguely what kind of career you want to have. </p>
<p>UMKC’s average Step 1 scores are considerably lower than other schools, which theoretically means it is more difficult for UMKC students to match into competitive specialties or competitive programs within any specialty. This may or may not be a drawback for you. UMKC has a lower match rate (as in, getting one of your top 3 choices) than other schools, including other public schools in the same state. This may or may not be a drawback to you. </p>
<p>If you were interested in a competitive field–or even might be interested in a competitive field–such as radiology, ortho, ophtho, anesthesia, or derm–then UMKC might not be the best place for you. On the other hand, if you’re interested in less competitive fields–such as internal med, peds, emergency–then UMKC might be fine for you. If you envision your career as one where you’ll be doing high-powered research at a top academic institution, then academic pedigree probably matters and thus UMKC might not be the best place for you. If you’re interested in specializing in pediatrics and then going back to your hometown, opening up a private practice, and enjoying continuity of care with your patients, then UMKC is probably fine for you. </p>
<p>A classmate who was originally part of the UMKC program (and is now friends with the UMKC crowd who finished residency interviews) mentioned that her former classmates subjectively feel like they have a lot more to prove than students from traditional schools when they’re interviewing because their program is looked at somewhat skeptically (for reasons that have already been mentioned) by the residency program directors where some of her friends interviewed. Others thought their interviews were fine. </p>
<p>Personally: I considered the UMKC 6yr program in 2006, and decided that it was more important to me to have more options upon graduating from med school than I believed UMKC would offer. I didn’t think saving 2 years of my 20s was worth it if in the end I didn’t get to be part of the career I wanted. Since then, I’ve found that medicine is quite demanding, but that it’s definitely the right field for me–and working in it isn’t a drawback (meaning–I don’t wish I had 2 more years. I’m fine with the total I’ve already dedicated.)</p>