@slothster don't apologize, all are great questions! I'll try to answer as best as I can (/as best as I interpreted things myself). The curriculum is very different from what you come across at most schools-I would recommend going to their website to look it up. I'll give you a quick overview though. First, they only have 6 hours of lecture a week. Yes, 6 hours. They have approached what is called 'flip-learning', which essentially I took away as the idea that you learn more practicing than being lectured to. It was founded by some hedge-fund man who found it more effective to give his daughter a ten minute brief lesson on a subject matter, and then having her go to school and working out problems-engaging and asking questions. Essentially "flipping" the normal status quo, where one is lectured in school, then does work at home. This allows the student to do the work in an environment where there is someone who can answer questions, etc. They facilitate this by having 6 hours of what is called an Active Learning Group (ALG) a week. These groups are super neat-for their inaugural class there are I believe 6 groups of 7 and one of 8 students. They make all the students take two different personality tests, and from these results they form the ALG groups, trying to make sure not one of the students in a group has the same personality. They have said the feedback from students has been amazingly positive, and not a single person has requested to switch groups. In these ALGs, you are given different cases, which you then work as a group to solve, using knowledge you've gained from lecture, reading, etc. These can range from medical to ethical cases. There's a supervisor/facilitator in the room as well in case anyone has questions. The rooms each group meets in are very spacious, and each has a smart board and white board. These groups help you to work through things yourselves, which I have always found to be the most efficient way of learning. I went to a Montessori grade school from k-6th grade, which has a similar learning style as this, and I found it remarkably helpful, and formative. Students can play off each others strengths and weaknesses, and you learn to work as a group, and problem solve.
Throughout all four years, starting right from week 3 you have something called an ambulatory clerkship (you can look this up on their website as well, go to curriculum map and you can select any section for more information). You form teams, with 2 phase 1 and 2 phase 2 students making up a team, and this is where you do all of your clinical experience. So yes, you will be getting clinical experience starting the first year.
Lastly, I think it's somewhat I like that. I think it is really a school for students who want to be interactive in their community more than anything else. It's not a school where you can simply go to class, then go home and study. They want you to interact with the population, and understand the relationship that can exist between a medical school and the city it is in (which is shown by the requirement of 40 hours of non-medical community service required each year. Anything from coaching a local team, to helping out in a school class, etc.). The citizens don't just learn from the students, the students also learn from the citizens. I wouldn't say it's only for students interested in public health or indigent populations, but it certainly is aimed at making sure its students are not only aware of their surroundings, but involved with them as well.
I hope that helps slightly...I'm sure they'll do a much better job explaining it all at your interview. It's kind of hard to really explain it all accurately on paper, but once you get to your interview, meet with the faculty and staff, and see the facility, and feel the environment, you'll really get it, and that's when you'll know if it's for you or not! But definitely scour their website over and over, I found that the more I looked over it, the more I found different things and programs they had that were unique and exciting! Hope that helps, and if you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask!
@jollybengali I think nearly half of the students live in a complex in Camden called the Victor. It's a little expensive, but very nice, safe, and close to the school. A good portion also live at home, as they are from the area. However, one of the students I spoke with lived in Philly, and she said she had no problem commuting from her place to school. So yes, I would say it is certainly feasible. But I would advise you to ask the students when you are there who live in Philly for more information-they are all super friendly and I'm certain would tell you all about their experiences!
Anyways, congrats to you both! Good luck with your interviews, and I hope that helped somewhat.
. This was one of my top choices, so there's a little bit of sting in this one. Congrats to all those who got accepted!
