Medical University of South Carolina Rankings by Salary Score™

The Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) College of Medicine (COM) program is, in my opinion, the best program in the state for anyone wishing to become a physician. The atmosphere of the school is hands down the most positive, encouraging, and supportive environment I've ever been in. The administrative staff, full time professors, guest lecturers, supplemental instructors and the Center for Academic Excellence program directors all want you to succeed. Every faculty and staff member I've interacted... Read More with are happy to help you any way they can; whether that be through visiting with them in their office for clarification of academic material, pairing you with a study group and tutor most appropriate for you, or helping you find scholarships or summer opportunities. The College of Medicine truly cares about its students and wants to produce the most successful physicians it can. The same can also be said for my fellow students and peers. Medical school is hard (obviously) and the students at MUSC understand that we all struggle at times, but because of that a sense of camaraderie and support is strongly developed. I've heard from friends at other schools that there are a lot of people who are "gunners" and may even sabotage a fellow student's learning in order to make themselves look better. However, the opposite is the case with my classmates. We share notes, videos, and study tools we've found that help clarify and simplify complex topics. We check in on each other when people are absent from mandatory classes or miss SI sessions they usually attend. I personally only survived neuro-anatomy because I had 2 fellow students stay late in the lab with me and sacrifice their own study time in order to go over the entire brain with me. In a time where saying " I'm studying" is synonymous with "I'm breathing" it's nice to have a support system that understands exactly what you're going through and is helping you succeed and stay sane. Apart from the supportive and collaborative environment, there are dozens of other great things I could say about MUSC: the location (we're only 20 minutes from the beach), the history and reputation of the school (we're the first medical school established in the South), the curriculum (we're taught from a "systems based" approach - dividing material into different organ systems of the body), the fact that about 80% of lectures are recorded and non-mandatory so you can watch them from home and on your own time if you prefer not going to class, the dozens and dozens of clubs and interest groups on campus that allow you to pursue different interests both professionally and personally, and the opportunities we get from workshops and Standard Patient (SP) interviews (including ultrasound and radiology workshops, physical exam workshops with SPs, "SIM workshops" - using high tech robotic patients, and histology labs). However, amongst all of the praise I can give to MUSC's College of Medicine, there is one complaint I feel must be addressed. While the COM does provide us with countless resources and opportunities, it does suffer from some logistical problems and at times is a bit unorganized. There have been a few cases where some students have at the last minute been told (not asked) that they had to switch times for a workshop (say an ultrasound workshop) because of a scheduling conflict either with the room location or assistant professor. There is also some disconnect and miscommunication when it comes to things like how a certain maneuver for a physical exam should be done and how it will therefore be graded (the textbook may say one thing, the in class lecturer another, and your small group preceptor says another thing). And lastly the College of Medicine seems to suffer from its share of technological difficulties such as lectures not getting recorded and uploaded to our viewing program Panopto in a timely manner, or problems with the exam software not working properly when trying to access an exam or even during the middle of an exam. However, to be fair the faculty are very accommodating when these technological problems do arise and try their best to fix the problems as quickly as possible in the best way possible. But overall, MUSC is a wonderful school to be a part of and I'm so glad that I chose it as the institution that will shape me into a physician that can effectively serve and advocate for my future patients.