Drexel vs SUNY Downstate (PA resident)

[CerebralPeduncles]

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[ridethecliche]

I would prefer downstate since I know students there who love it and have matched well. It's also not that hard to get from NYC to DC (bus/flight) and it can be cheap if you time it right.

They're both good cities and the schools are both good. Downstate has been becoming more popular lately because...bkyln. But you can't really go wrong. I'd pick Downstate because I have a better feeling about the school, but I don't know that many people at drexel.

 

[CerebralPeduncles]

I would prefer downstate since I know students there who love it and have matched well. It's also not that hard to get from NYC to DC (bus/flight) and it can be cheap if you time it right.

They're both good cities and the schools are both good. Downstate has been becoming more popular lately because...bkyln. But you can't really go wrong. I'd pick Downstate because I have a better feeling about the school, but I don't know that many people at drexel.

Thanks so much for the advice! I'm trying not to be influenced by the hype of (the gentrified parts of) Brooklyn, haha. If you're willing to elaborate, I'm curious what has gone into your better feelings about Downstate, and what students you know there have liked most about it?

 

[Mansamusa]

Downstate's hospital has their own mess with financial troubles http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/37/7/all-suny-downstate-in-crisis-2014-02-07-bk_37_7.html

While I actually like Philly more than NYC, Downstate's big draw is the patient population the school serves. It's exactly the type of patients that I, and probably most students who end up there, want to work with. This is the biggest draw of Downstate

Downstate is the only school I interviewed at where I have zero idea about the research opportunities...but I also don't know what things are like at Drexel either so I can't compare. Both Drexel and Downstate have spread out clinical sites.

Downstate is jank, but that is part of it's charm.

I feel like the cost might come out to be close to the same, but you would know better.

I would choose Downstate because its mission matches my own

 

[CerebralPeduncles]

Downstate's hospital has their own mess with financial troubles http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/37/7/all-suny-downstate-in-crisis-2014-02-07-bk_37_7.html

While I actually like Philly more than NYC, Downstate's big draw is the patient population the school serves. It's exactly the type of patients that I, and probably most students who end up there, want to work with. This is the biggest draw of Downstate

Downstate is the only school I interviewed at where I have zero idea about the research opportunities...but I also don't know what things are like at Drexel either so I can't compare. Both Drexel and Downstate have spread out clinical sites.

Downstate is jank, but that is part of it's charm.

I feel like the cost might come out to be close to the same, but you would know better.

I would choose Downstate because its mission matches my own

Thank you for the helpful response!

Welp, not good that both places are having financial problems. Maybe my tuition can help with that (lol)... I'll definitely have to more closely assess what the overall cost would come out to between the two.

From what I've seen, it seems like there might be slightly more opportunity for research at Drexel, but I'm sure that there is still stuff at Downstate that might just be hiding a bit more. Anyone else that happens to be reading this thread want to comment on this?

And I agree -- the clinical population at Downstate is definitely a huge draw to me and the mission aligns with my own as well. However, I feel like I would still be able to implement that mission at Drexel, though, even if that isn't necessarily the main goal of the school overall.

This is a tough call for me.

 

[ridethecliche]

Exactly. Students have really liked the patient population and the opportunities to get involved with care pretty early on.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Moving to SSD

 

[CerebralPeduncles]

*bump in case any Drexel people want to chime in*

 

[ciestar]

You basically ripped Drexel apart, go to Downstate.

 

[CerebralPeduncles]

You basically ripped Drexel apart, go to Downstate.

Ah, no! I'm just trying to be brutally honest about my impressions when comparing them (I could easily say that Downstate is everyone in NY's back up school, too). I don't totally understand why Drexel gets a bad rep around here because I think it's a great school with a lot of things about it that I like, which is why this is such a tough decision for me.

 

[frchuatritons]

Drexel is the clear backup for PA residents. Downstate is tied with the other SUNYs besides stony brook as backups for NY residents.

 

[occams_razor]

Drexel is the clear backup for PA residents. Downstate is tied with the other SUNYs besides stony brook as backups for NY residents.

sorry but I disagree with the bolded. I know people who picked Downstate over Stony. None of the SUNY MD schools are particularly easy to get into. I wouldn't characterize any of them as back up schools. Avg. GPA for Downstate is 3.76 and MCAT is 33.. not too shabby

 

[CerebralPeduncles]

So I recently re-visited Downstate and am still on the fence. The main argument about why the school is superior is, of course, that you get a really great clinical experience, with a lot of autonomy to learn, from the outset. However, it seems like this is mainly because students are working in understaffed hospitals (maybe being asked to do things that they aren't yet ready to do?). While I'm sure there is plenty of supervision, it makes me a little bit nervous.

Philadelphia also represents a diverse patient population, so if anyone could comment on specifically what about Drexel's third/fourth years make it better/worse than Downstate's? That would be helpful. Thank you!

 

[Slack3r]

The patient population at Downstate vs. Hahnemann are both very similar (urban, underserved, etc.). Only difference is Drexel has your first 2 years in Manayunk (blue collar neighborhood) vs. Downstate being in Brooklyn.

Drexel is the "worst" of the Philly schools and Downstate is the "worst" of the NYC schools. Not much difference there. Neither school is bad (they are, after all, both US MD schools), but neither will have a significant reputation boost over the other.

Both schools are in the Northeast so you won't have any issue matching in the Northeast corridor (including NYC) if you so choose.

As for the clinical experience, it really is what you make of it at either school. I've worked with students/residents from Drexel who run the gamut from genius to awful, and the same goes for Downstate (although I will say the single most incompetent physician I've ever met was a Downstate graduate, fwiw).

Personally, I'd pick Drexel > Downstate, but that's mostly based on cost and location.