Drexel IMS vs Tufts MBS

[jamkkodae]

Hi everyone, I'm having a tough time deciding between these two SMPs so I thought I would reach out for community help!

Stats: 3.49 cGPA / 3.28 sGPA / MCAT 504, 510 / lots of research (bench and clinical) and clinical volunteering / NYC resident

I only got one interview for the past cycle, then was waitlisted and eventually rejected. Through an SMP, I'm looking to show a higher GPA, but also do some more non-clinical volunteering and shadowing. Most of my non-clinical volunteering is from community service/organization leadership in college, while I've only had shadowing experience with one doctor.


Tufts MBS
Pros

• was able to speak to a couple of students who did it, all really liked it
• most people end up doing the second year thesis, so encouraged to apply after the first year
• sharewood project, other volunteering opportunities by the school (although unsure how it will go with covid)

Cons

• very expensive (~$53k in loans just for tuition)
• no guidelines for guaranteed interview, just a higher chance
• cost of MCAT prep course included in tuition (can't get out of it)
• more expensive rent in Boston (for second semester)

Drexel IMS
Pros

• guaranteed interview with expected MCAT (70th percentile) and GPA (3.2) in the program
• much much cheaper (~$31k in loans)
• one year, no thesis requirement

Cons

• haven't spoken to any students from the program (spoke to someone who did DPMS though)
• most people apply before starting the program -- admissions office rep said that the guaranteed interview seems to still carry over after you're done but it was mostly based on anecdotal evidence so not confirmed...

Also important to note is that I accepted my offer at Tufts on the last day of my (extended) deadline lol. I would very much take Drexel's offer because of the financial aspect, but I don't want to do it if the program will not be as helpful for me and then regret it later.

Super open to anyone's experiences and thoughts!

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[BubbleStitch]

Hi! I’m a current DPMSer so I’m biased in favor of Drexel. Not only is it cheaper, but Drexel statistically accepts around half of the students they interview. I don’t know how that’s split between guaranteed interviews vs. normal applicants, but that seems like pretty good odds to me. We have had an opportunity to meet and interact with many of our professors during a summer DPMS class (they’re the same as IMS professors) and they seem really committed to student success. The only potential drawback is needing to teach yourself primarily. I think some people are having a hard time adapting to that. I also think it could be hard to study for the mcat while doing IMS, but if your cars and Psych Social sections are strong, I think our curriculum would be enough to boost the other science sections to the 70th percentile. Good luck!

 

[jamkkodae]

Hi! I’m a current DPMSer so I’m biased in favor of Drexel. Not only is it cheaper, but Drexel statistically accepts around half of the students they interview. I don’t know how that’s split between guaranteed interviews vs. normal applicants, but that seems like pretty good odds to me. We have had an opportunity to meet and interact with many of our professors during a summer DPMS class (they’re the same as IMS professors) and they seem really committed to student success. The only potential drawback is needing to teach yourself primarily. I think some people are having a hard time adapting to that. I also think it could be hard to study for the mcat while doing IMS, but if your cars and Psych Social sections are strong, I think our curriculum would be enough to boost the other science sections to the 70th percentile. Good luck!

Thank you so much! I don't have plans to retake the MCAT (I believe I meet the requirement with the scores I have) so hopefully that's not an issue. By teaching yourself primarily, do you mean like proactively reading lecture material ahead of time or that things aren't taught well?

 

[BubbleStitch]

Thank you so much! I don't have plans to retake the MCAT (I believe I meet the requirement with the scores I have) so hopefully that's not an issue. By teaching yourself primarily, do you mean like proactively reading lecture material ahead of time or that things aren't taught well?

Instruction is almost entirely through independent learning modules, which are just a collection of readings and practice problems. We have met with professors a couple of times for brief lectures, but they’re more like review sessions than teaching. That said, tutors are available I believe, and professors are readily available for virtual office hours if you need clarification or further explanation. Also, we have labs to apply/reinforce the concepts we learned when we get together as a group.

 

[jamkkodae]

Instruction is almost entirely through independent learning modules, which are just a collection of readings and practice problems. We have met with professors a couple of times for brief lectures, but they’re more like review sessions than teaching. That said, tutors are available I believe, and professors are readily available for virtual office hours if you need clarification or further explanation. Also, we have labs to apply/reinforce the concepts we learned when we get together as a group.

Hmm okay I see. Do you know if this is the case for both years of DPMS or just the first? I know that the two programs have some variations but the second year of DPMS is basically the same as IMS, so...

 

[BubbleStitch]

Hmm okay I see. Do you know if this is the case for both years of DPMS or just the first? I know that the two programs have some variations but the second year of DPMS is basically the same as IMS, so...

DPMS is only a one year program. From looking at the IMS curriculum, it seems like it’s essentially the same as Track 2 in DPMS, with nutrition being the only difference I see. I think we all (DPMS, IMS, some second year MBS) are all classmates in the same classes