Downstate Vs. Temple

[gunit770]

Hey all,
I just got accepted off of Downstate's waitlist and they have given me two weeks to respond. I was accepted at Temple months ago.
Here's the descriptions and arguements for each. I would appreciate any and all feedback to help me make my decision. Thanks

Downstate: CHEAP AS ALL HELL! After first year I can become an in state student and tuition is then 25K (vs temple 57K). Also, I have a lot of extended family living in NYC. That having been said I really was not impressed by my interview. The building seemed old and unfriendly and I did not get a great vibe from the students. It is also in a bad neighborhood and I have live in NYC for the last 8 years so I am ready to move on.

Temple: The vibe I got there was incredible. I think that Philly is one of the coolest places in the world and Temple the best medical school in the world. Everybody there was super friendly and seems super happy. The downside is that I have no friends or family in Philly. I am a moderately personable guy so Im not overly concerned about making new friends. However, i have heard that it is important to have family. Also, Temple is incredibly expensive for an out of state student and is not in a great neighborhood either.

I think both schools match up pretty well academically so there is no help making my decision there.

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[shaggy alfresco]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Take it. Seriously. TAKE IT.

 

[Tapepsi]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Take it. Seriously. TAKE IT.

^ I'd have to agree. I was in a similar dilemma and came to the conclusion that graduating with $48,000 less in debt will make life a lot easier for me. Now granted the cheaper school is my top choice, but if it wasn't...I'd still go with it based off of tuition alone.

Ask any med student, resident, or doctor on here. They all say the same thing: go with the cheapest school. As one med student told me:

Go with the cheaper school. Since when have pre-meds all developed a carefree attitude towards money?

Edit: Let's put things into perspective (I am basing this off of last year's MSAR)

Downstate:
Total Tuition (including Living Expenses) for 4 years: 66,565+48,725 x 3 = $212,740

Temple:
Total Tuition (including Living Expenses) for 4 years: 74,275 x 4 = $297,100

Difference in cost: $84,360

That's like Downstate offering you an $80,000 scholarship to go to their school!

 

[Geekchick921]

I loved Temple for all the reasons you mentioned, and you really don't seem crazy about Downstate. What made you want to stay on the WL in the first place, the cost difference? I still want to tell you to go with the money, but before you commit, why don't you contact Temple's financial aide people and see if they can offer you some money to offset the difference?

 

[FIREitUP]

If Temple accepted me off their waitlist, there's no way in hell I would pay an extra 30k per year to go there. While the first two years might be more comfortable due to the new building, third and fourth years will be similar.

 

[Thom1986]

Ask any med student, resident, or doctor on here. They all say the same thing: go with the cheapest school. As one med student told me:

That person is a *pre-med*, just pointing that out!

 

[gunit770]

I loved Temple for all the reasons you mentioned, and you really don't seem crazy about Downstate. What made you want to stay on the WL in the first place, the cost difference? I still want to tell you to go with the money, but before you commit, why don't you contact Temple's financial aide people and see if they can offer you some money to offset the difference?

I stayed on the waitlist because I could and I figured that maybe later in the application process money would mean more to me than it does now. I know alot of people are saying take the money but wouldn't you give $84,000 to be happy for four years instead of being miserable? When we are all doctors and making at least a decent living we would almost definitely pay that much over four years for our happiness, so why wouldn't you spend that money now? I'm just saying that money is not everything and I really liked Temple and really disliked Downstate.
Also, if somebody can comment on the need to have family/close childhood friends nearby (within 20 minutes rather then 2 hours drive away if I go to philly) that would be awesome, because I would like to know how important that is to general contentedness.
I find it interesting that most people posting answers to this question are saying to go to downstate but the poll results show that Temple is in the lead. Why is that?

 

[Geekchick921]

I stayed on the waitlist because I could and I figured that maybe later in the application process money would mean more to me than it does now. I know alot of people are saying take the money but wouldn't you give $84,000 to be happy for four years instead of being miserable? When we are all doctors and making at least a decent living we would almost definitely pay that much over four years for our happiness, so why wouldn't you spend that money now? I'm just saying that money is not everything and I really liked Temple and really disliked Downstate.
Also, if somebody can comment on the need to have family/close childhood friends nearby (within 20 minutes rather then 2 hours drive away if I go to philly) that would be awesome, because I would like to know how important that is to general contentedness.
I find it interesting that most people posting answers to this question are saying to go to downstate but the poll results show that Temple is in the lead. Why is that?

Yes, I would. If you really disliked Downstate, and think you will be unhappy or miserable there, then go to Temple without another thought. Most of the people that make threads like this seem to definitely prefer one school over the other, but they don't seem to actually dislike the school.

You say you've lived in NYC for 8 years. How often do you visit the family that live near you now? I went to NYU for my first semester of undergrad and it was easy to get to and from NYC and Philadelphia (where I grew up). I would not recommend driving because the traffic is so unpredictable unless you're packing for several days or something. If you live in Center City, either take Amtrak or take SEPTA's regional rail up to Trenton then get on the NE Corridor line up to NYC (this is the cheaper option and I've used it many times, before, during and after my first semester of undergrad. I was pretty unhappy when I lived in NYC because my roommates sucked a fat one and they made me a lot more homesick than I expected to be, but I was also a lot younger than either of us are now.

But I would still call Temple and try to wheedle some money out of them.

 

[Ride the wave]

I stayed on the waitlist because I could and I figured that maybe later in the application process money would mean more to me than it does now. I know alot of people are saying take the money but wouldn't you give $84,000 to be happy for four years instead of being miserable? When we are all doctors and making at least a decent living we would almost definitely pay that much over four years for our happiness, so why wouldn't you spend that money now? I'm just saying that money is not everything and I really liked Temple and really disliked Downstate.
Also, if somebody can comment on the need to have family/close childhood friends nearby (within 20 minutes rather then 2 hours drive away if I go to philly) that would be awesome, because I would like to know how important that is to general contentedness.
I find it interesting that most people posting answers to this question are saying to go to downstate but the poll results show that Temple is in the lead. Why is that?

I started a similar thread with a similar dilemma. You may want to read it, there are a lot of good responses. If you are truly sure you would be "miserable" then go to Temple. But do you really believe you will have elation at one school and misery at the other? Happiness is a choice.

I still haven't decided either though. Good luck.

 

[boggvir]

Every $1 you save now will be $2 or more dollars you don't have to pay back later.

You should really think about the rankings of schools and if you're interested in a specialty where that would matter. And then pick the cheaper school. Unless you really want to be in a certain city over another, and love one location or another...then you really want to think about your decision. And then pick the cheaper school. The exception being that you think you'll be really unhappy at one school, and be really happy at another, and you can't see yourself being at one school. If that is the case, take a couple days, go over all the pros and cons, and then pick the cheaper school.

 

[Tapepsi]

OP I understand your concern but I don't think you realize how big of a difference 80k is. I am sure you will be happy at both schools don't base it off of buildings looking old.

And having family support will help you out a LOT I've been told when you're in med school.

 

[unleash500]

eventhough downstate is depressing I say go with the cheaper school + having family around. I really don't think there is any real advantage to choosing temple over downstate.

 

[ryuuzaki]

Go to Downstate.

Reasons:

1. Much cheaper. You sound like a NYC resident--that's 25K~ a year in tuition.
2. You will find that the clinical experience at Downstate is an experience like no other. I don't think Temple matches Downstate in terms of this for when you do your rotations.
3. Temple doesn't really offer enough to justify the expense. Also you have family in NYC and it's important to get away once in a while. Furthermore, it sounds like your only qualm with Downstate is the neighborhood. Honestly, look at it as a challenge--it'll only make you a stronger person. Sure at Temple the environment seems more amicable, but you wont enjoy the decision when you're paying back the excess in loans that you could have avoided. The closer you are to being debt free, the better. I don't think Temple matches better than Downstate, people go into excellent programs from Downstate.

Now if this was say a top 20 school, the nature of this conversation would be different. If this were Pitt or Penn, I'd say go to those in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Best of luck in your decision making!

Final piece of advice, and I would say the most important piece of advice, that I will give you is this:

Do what you feel is right. At the end of the day, figure out when and how you will be happiest. Do what you think is best for you. If you honestly don't like Downstate and think you'll be happier at Temple, and you think the cost difference is something you can leave to "future gunit770" to deal with, then by all means, go to Temple.

__________________
SUNY Downstate COM Class of 2015

 

[nyny87]

Yea, yea, only two posts and whatever. I've been reading SDN for a long time and I feel obligated to post due to my having had to make this exact same decision. Seriously, exact. Personally, I chose Downstate. You really shouldn't read too far into these responses because this decision basically boils down to your own preferences.

Here's how I sized it all up:

Temple: beautiful facilities, seemed to attract the bubbly-personality-type-premed, anatomy lab didnt smell, crazy crazy expensive, matches mostly regionally, philly seems alright, very active in community.

Downstate: facilities not pretty but not lacking anything, the few students i met seemed like real people and not tour guide caricatures, cheap, great clinical experience, i personally love new york, matches regionally to brooklyn/manhattan.

For me it came down to cost, location, and regional residency bias. But only you know what's best for you, I'm not trying to sell you on anything.

 

[johnwandering]

Go Where YOU will be happier.

Sure, money is important, but at the end of the day... you are spending four years of your life there. Make them somewhat enjoyable~

 

[Geekchick921]

gunit, come back to us! It's been over 2 weeks. Which school did you choose?