Drexel Students, need advice on ifm vs. pil

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RU2003

RU2003
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Hi, I just wanted to know current students feelings about the both the IFM and PIL programs and some pros/cons about each if you could please help. The catalog doesnt give me enough to make a decision and I think it would be best to hear personal advice from current students in either one of the two. Thanks,

RU2003

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I would go IFM, i think personally anybody would be much happier doing IFM then PIL, plus I think the Pil students are kind of weird, well atleast most of them. I think thats enough to make anyone not become one. good luck choosing
 
i think IFM's are weird - they hate talking to other people and always study alone...weird... ;)

choosing between PIL and IFM is very much about your own learning style - as someone in PIL with a number of friends in IFM, i can really see that some people work much better alone and others prefer groups.
from my (admittedly biased) perspective: if you like to explain what you learn to people to help solidify it, then you may prefer PIL. If you'd rather study hard on your own and are really annoyed when people ask you questions, then you probably won't like PIL. I also find that in PIL, you are sort of "forced" to stay on top of your work, since you have to be prepared for group 3 times a week. as a really bad procrastinator, that really helps keep me on task. Also, if you like to learn by sort of putting the pieces of a puzzle together, that is a lot like PIL. it can be frustrating too, and i can see why it would be nice to have everything explained in lecture. also, since the lecture part of first year is shorter for PIL, we have to crank through some topics pretty fast - which doesn't always give you time to digest the material before you're already moving on to something else.

anyway, people i know in both curriculums have things they love and things they complain about (there would be no fun in med school if you didn't have something to complain about!). if you are still unsure - go to the PIL pre-orientation and see if you like it. a couple of people tried it last year and decided it wasn't for them (which is totally fine!). you should just think about how YOU like to learn and go from there.

feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
:)
 
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AntGod22 said:
I would go IFM, i think personally anybody would be much happier doing IFM then PIL, plus I think the Pil students are kind of weird, well atleast most of them. I think thats enough to make anyone not become one. good luck choosing

I don't think someone's opinion of the "weirdness" of another group is a reason to choose PIL or IFM. The choice of PIL over IFM is dependent on what you want to get out of the first 2 years of medical school. A few things PIL gets: Lots more clinical exposure, Clinical reasoning is developed from day one, and more contact with faculty.

PM me if you have more questions, gotta get back to prepping for a final!
 
*Bump*

Would any current students care to elaborate on this topic?

Your advice/opinions/experiences would be greatly appreciated.
 
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