Advice about Temple and MCP

[Dr. Kermit]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I know this is the Allopathic Forum, but I thought many of you might be able to give me advice about depositing at schools.

I've been fortunate enough to have two acceptances, Hahnemann and Temple. My boyfriend is in Philadelphia for law school, so both schools are top considerations, barring interview invites from Jefferson and Penn (yeah right on the later!) However, I'm almost positive I'd probably rather attend Temple over Hahnemann. The tuition is about $5K less, the clinical training would probably be better than Hahnemann, and the people seemed happier at Temple. Plus, my best friend from college is a MS1 there, so I'd have a roommate 🙂 The only thing that may be better about Hahnemann is that it isn't in ghetto, but I went to school in Baltimore, so the area around Temple is comparable to West Baltimore. I looked at match lists for both schools, and I know P=MD, but Hahnemann had a slightly more impressive match list. I was wondering what you guys thought about holding a position at both schools under the above circumstances. Thanks for the advice, I don't want to sound like a compulsive person who is about to hold multiple acceptances. I've already withdrawn from NY Med and Penn State and removed myself from the GW waitlist.

 

[daveshnave]

I'm a first year at MCPHU and I love it here. I did their post-bacc program so it's my second year in Philly and I'm having a great time. It's a great school, and I strongly believe it's only bound to get better with all the changes that have gone on in the past few years. In defense of my class, I'd say we are a pretty laid back, happy bunch. I think Temple is pretty similar, at least in my experience with the few Temple med students I know. If you are looking for this type of student atmosphere, either of the above schools are good, but I would be weary of Jefferson. In my opinion Jefferson probably has the most malignant student atmosphere of all the Philadelphia schools, including even Penn. Not that Jefferson students are evil, it's just that their school gives percentage grades, and naturally this encourages some types to become overly competitive (ie. expect the pre-med mentality seen in undergrad). I've heard stories from former Jeff students whose classmates were just not feeling content with a 94% in a class, because so and so had a 97%. Granted this occurs at every school, but from what I've heard of Philadelphia schools Jefferson is the worst in this regard. I hope I don't offend any Jefferson students, this is only what I've heard from a select few.
As far as Temple and MCPHU, as I said they're fairly similar. One major difference is their curriculum. MCPHU uses both an integrative organ system module approach (IFM) and a problem-based learning approach (PIL), while Temple uses a more traditional didactic curriculum (ie. taking individual lecture based classes). I'm in IFM and I love how we learn the subject matter. I have a friend at Temple who is cramming all of anatomy into just the first semester and is then done with it, whereas we learn it in the context of different organ systems throughout the whole year, so we learn smaller amounts spread out over a longer period of time.
I don't know if this gave you any more insight or not, but I hope you make the choice that is right for you. Good luck!

 

[srlondon]

You also might consider the neighborhood that the schools are in. MCP-Hahnemann and Jefferson are certainly in much more liveable areas of Philly. The area that Temple's in is a bit "gritty", to be polite about it.

 

[Dr. Kermit]

I didn't mention Jeff or Penn because I hadn't interviewed at those two schools yet. I've already been accepted to Temple and Hahnemann and was trying to decide to which school to send a deposit.

A few things, when offering advice 🙂 Yes, I would consider Jeff or Penn if offered an interview! Jeff is likely, Penn probably not! I wouldn't live near Temple, I don't think they even have housing near the school, I'd probably live with a current MS1 from college in Center City. I'm interested in Peds in an urban city so I'm leaning toward Temple, but nothing definitive.

Thanks again to everyone 🙂

 

[Dr JPH]

I know some people living in dirt-cheap apartments near the Temple Med campus. Some of the med students don't want to live there so the undergrads grab the rooms.

If it comes down to Temple and Hahneman, don't choose based on the area of the city they are located in. They are only a few miles apart.

I know an MSI at Temple and she is very, very happy there.

I've visited Hahneman and it seems nice as well.

Go with your gut.

Good luck.

 

[Shrek]

I have to disagree with the student who commented about the jefferson program. He implied that all schools utilize a ranking system. This is patently false. While verbiage in the dean's letter can imply one thing or another, not all schools use rankings. This can certainly help those in the lower half of their class.

In terms of grading schemes I have to also disagree. ABC scales encourage fierce competition whereas a simiple p/f/h does not. I chose my medical school with this in mind on the advice of others who went to the various types of programs. I can tell you that it makes focusing on particular subjects a breeze, alleviating a huge stressor. For me, a d- was equivalent to a nice clean 'p'. At the same time, I could spend time getting 'h' in other more important courses.

Class rank and grading schemes count big time. Not all schools utilize them. It behooves you to find out this information prior to embarking on a medical career.

One other side note about Jefferson. I have a friend there who remarked how easy it was to repeat an entire year based on poor performance in simply one course. This is a huge burden to bear.

 

[Shrek]

A appreciate the fact that you are happy with your choice in medical schools. Class rank and grading schemes are very big factors that many don't take into consideration. There are plenty of schools that don't use them at all, as in zip. This can alleviate a tremendous amount of pressure, especially if you are someone with a family. I know plenty of people who have either graduated Jefferson or are there now. They are happy. For them, the system works well I suppose. For me, it would introduce unnessecessary pressure. I wouldn't want to be worrying whether I landed in the top 10% or not come interview season. The grading scheme is even worse.

The information I have been supplied with could very well be false, but it has been corroborated by more than one jefferson student. I am told that if you fail a course you must take this comprehensive exam. Fail that, and repeat the entire year. It may be a long shot, but I feel pretty lousy for the few who get hit like that.

 

[Jeff05]

About the notion that some schools have big scary compet. atmospheres - don't worry, it's not true. i have friends at 3 philly med schools (i'm at Jeff) and they all love it. and if there is a bit of competition (there isn't though), i think it's healthy. i mean, how do we as products of the american education system all of a sudden stop worrying about grades and scores. it's ok, it won't bite (and it won't make you into a friend-sabotaging-grade-thirsty machine, either).

About failing one course at Jeff and being set back a year: as mentioned by a previous poster, there is the summer to make up work (and plenty of academic help during the year).

Of course there are people in med school that won't be happy with a 94% and want that 97%, you know how many there are - maybe 1% of each class...maybe. Of course there are people that are unhappy with med school (their voices are heard often, since happy people don't feel the compulsion to just tell people how happy they are, unhappy ones do). Ultimately, med school is like everything else. There's a small percentage of the extremes (which seems larger because that's where all the scary med school stories come from), while the rest of the people are, well, people.

ok...the point is...med school has its challenges, much like everything that is worth doing. there will always be people that will see the glass completely empty, and bitch about it...pay no attention. don't listen to over-dramatized horror stories about medschools, also please don't tell them.
the difference between temple and hahnemann, hmm...is all subjective. which means, just pick which campus you like best, which people you find most appealing, AND where you want to live.

done rambling.


"I love it when a plan comes together"
-H.