BU MAMS vs. Cincin - 4 days to Decide!

[FishForPhysician2019]

Hi Everyone, I'm new to this and I know this question has been asked before but it seems like people sometimes give good advice or have points I myself would have never thought of so I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what you all think. TLDR at the bottom.

My Background: I graduated from a university of California school with a degree in Biopsychology in 2015 cGPA: 3.11, sGPA 2.95. Since then I have taken a few classes without much direction but have received a 4.0 in all 5 classes. My MCAT is a 507 (126/127/126/128) taken 1/2018. Since 2016 I have been scribing for ~4000 hours and have been a manager of a group of 35 scribes and 21 physicians for the past 1 year. Using all of this I applied to both MD and DO schools for the 2018-2019 cycle which was unsuccessful. Lastly I would like to note my path was a bit derailed when I moved home to be with my mom after my father's unexpected death in 2016, my home being in a rural area and requiring a ton of commuting for work and post bacc classes, followed by a bought of depression and a narcolepsy diagnosis. I finally feel the most solid I have since 2016 and am looking to more aggressively pursue my dream of being a physician.

My goal: to strengthen my GPA, Strengthen my command of the Sciences (since I have been out of the game so long), gain strong letters of Rec, and research experience all with the ultimate goal of applying to medical school after. I believe each of these would be more easily obtained by attending a graduate school and so Far I have applied to M.S. in Biomedical Sciences, Physiology, and Health Sciences but have NO clue what is the right decision.

My Ranking and Decision Making is Below, my top being Touro because it would be the easiest followed by Boston as a dream place I have always wanted to explore.

1. Touro University in Vallejo (MS Health Sciences) - Awaiting Decision
   1. Pros:
      1. Location: Close-ish to my current home meaning no relocation or rent.
      2. Research: Built into program
      3. Linkage: Guaranteed interview with med school if you do well.
      4. Tuition: 22K
      5. Class Size: 60
   2. Cons:
      1. Length: Somewhat of a short program, 1 year but less rigorous of a program so I think I could handle it.
      2. Commute to school
      3. Less name recognition.
2. Boston University MAMS - ADMITTED
   1. Pros:
      1. Well Established Program
      2. Length: 2 years gives me plenty of time to do well and not feel rushed through. I want quality from my experience and not just a shotgun solution to getting into medical school. Also this could give me more time to possibly retake the MCAT before retrying the Med school applications.
      3. Research: Included in Program
      4. Would be super fun to live in Boston
   2. Cons:
      1. Location: Far from home and High Rent Prices. Side Note: I haven’t been without my mom since my father passed, and I am most concerned for her. Also I have a new relationship which is amazing but thats super long distance and I won’t have much energy for that.
      2. Tuition: 55K
      3. Linkage: Not guaranteed but you are considered in a separate applicant pool when applying to med school
      4. Class size: 100, not sure if this is entirely a con for me but other people seem to think smaller the class size the better.
      5. May be difficult to shine in such rigorous program.
3. Cincinnati University (MS Physiology) - ADMITTED
   1. Pro
      1. Well established Program
      2. Location: Midway from home, rent super affordable.
      3. Linkage: 50% of their class gets admitted to medical school initially the first year of applying. Also has a high admittance rate to other Ohio Medical schools.
      4. Class Size: ~38
      5. Tuition: 39K
   2. Con
      1. Length: 11 months, I would feel rushed
      2. Research: Not included
      3. Could be incredibly difficult to shine at this program with a lot of gunners and a quick program since I didn’t do so hot initially in school and have been out of school for 4 years, basically.
4. Case Western Reserve (MS Medical Physiology) - Awaiting Decision
   1. Pro
      1. Location: Midway from home, rent super affordable.
      2. Length: 2 years gives me plenty of time to do well and not feel rushed through. I want quality from my experience and not just a shotgun solution to getting into medical school. Also this could give me more time to possibly retake the MCAT before retrying the Med school applications.
      3. Class Size: Small
      4. Research: Lots of opportunity
      5. Tuition: 22K
      6. Super interested in Physiology
      7. Name recognition
   2. Con
      1. Linkage: None
      2. Not a true SMP but still has great opportunities.

TLDR; How would you rank SMPs for Boston vs Cincinnati vs Touro California vs Case Western. Right now I am only officially admitted to Boston and Cincin and I HAVE to decide between the two in the next 4 days.

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