drexel vs. umdnj, newark

[palliate]

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I am trying to figure out Drexel vs. UMDNJ, Newark dilemma, the main criteria being strength of the program and reputation. For some reason I got a sense that UMDNJ is very friendly, very devoted to teaching, very laid-back. Drexel seemed to be a solid program but not exactly the friendliest place. The thing is, I realize that my perceptions during the interview day are just that -- perceptions. I was hoping that someone here actually knows something about these places, so that I don't have to base my decisions on intuition alone. I would be very grateful for your take on this, guys. I am kind of loosing the big picture here. Thank you for your help!

 

[DrHeartMD]

I can give you some insight into Newark, as I too interviewed there and have some friends who are residents and some med student friends there...

Basically its a very benign environment...I think housestaff are happy there...reputation is what you make of it...for cards or GI they tend to not match too many outside of the program (a reflection of a poor department getting better, an increasingnly competitive field and poor research opportunities for residents), and internally usually you need to do a cheif year to get a spot, but for other less competitive fields (and even heme-onc which is competitive) they have some great matches every year...there is a lot of teaching that goes on there...the location affords some unique pathology (some of my friends have gotten some awesome case reports and stuff and they have the CPC conferences once a week) and it appears often on the services...HIV abounds...but not to fret as there is an HIV service...you will find resident caliber varies as it does anywhere, and there is a lot of IMGs, but I found these people to be some of the smartest of their class from their respective locations, and they often have a great deal of intellect and experience in teaching...Resident relations are good, and they often hang out together at the end of rotations...but this is not a tight knit program...people are still more spread out, and this might be because the various hospitals cause people to be at different physical plants for large portions of time...physical plants vary, UH is ok, Hackensack is like a hotel, and VA is the VA...the multihospital system affords a good deal of different experiences...newark location affords a lot of autonomy which is nice...and team calls make the experience nice to deal with...these guys work medium hard, dont violate a lot of hours (except in the units once in a while though I heard the PD is pretty responsive and tries to kick people out)...

anyway hope that helps...I think Raph91 is from Newark judging by some of his posts before...he might be able to help out with more specifics, but it seems not to be a bad place...I think people tend to take away from it what they want to...

Drexel on the other hand I know nothign about since I didnt really interview there and knew only one person there in several years who went there when it was called MCP and they didnt like it but never specified why...this is way to hearsay for you to make a decision, so Id say find a drexelite to help describe their program to you...good luck

 

[palliate]

This was of great help, DrJ-Bond! You pretty much confirmed some of my baseline understandings. And the fact that your take on this is based on more than just the interview day impressions makes all the difference. Now all I can hope for is a similar scoop on Drexel. Any Drexelites here? Please help!

 

[palliate]

This was of great help, DrJ-Bond! You pretty much confirmed some of my baseline understandings. And the fact that your take on this is based on more than just the interview day impressions makes all the difference. Now all I can hope for is a similar scoop on Drexel. Any Drexelites here? Please help!

 

[chrisc5308]

I am trying to figure out Drexel vs. UMDNJ, Newark dilemma, the main criteria being strength of the program and reputation. For some reason I got a sense that UMDNJ is very friendly, very devoted to teaching, very laid-back. Drexel seemed to be a solid program but not exactly the friendliest place. The thing is, I realize that my perceptions during the interview day are just that -- perceptions. I was hoping that someone here actually knows something about these places, so that I don't have to base my decisions on intuition alone. I would be very grateful for your take on this, guys. I am kind of loosing the big picture here. Thank you for your help!

Well, I dont know how much this is going to help but I thought I'd give it a try. I go to school in Philly and interviewed at both places. I pretty much agree with your interview-day perceptions - I felt the same way. I will say that I know some folks that went to Drexel med and they advised me to stay away. They felt that the ancillaries sucked and the nurses were among some of the most apathetic and nasty while the the program lacked commeraderie (sp?). This was second-hand info so I dont know what it is worth. Personally, when I interviewed I thought the housestaff were really friendly but who knows ! I dont know what you are interested in but they do pretty well matching into cards (something like 10 people last year). Anyway, good luck - I'm sure you will be happy whereever you go.

Chris

 

[palliate]

Well, I dont know how much this is going to help but I thought I'd give it a try. I go to school in Philly and interviewed at both places. I pretty much agree with your interview-day perceptions - I felt the same way. I will say that I know some folks that went to Drexel med and they advised me to stay away. They felt that the ancillaries sucked and the nurses were among some of the most apathetic and nasty while the the program lacked commeraderie (sp?). This was second-hand info so I dont know what it is worth. Personally, when I interviewed I thought the housestaff were really friendly but who knows ! I dont know what you are interested in but they do pretty well matching into cards (something like 10 people last year). Anyway, good luck - I'm sure you will be happy whereever you go.

Chris

Thank you Chris! It is pretty frustrating to base these decisions solely on the interview day experience, isn't it?! Bad ancillaries don't scare me as much, but the general atmosphere of the program is of the greatest importance to me.
One more thing, do you think a place like Drexel would give me a clear advantage when applying for hem-onc fellowships (vs. going to StLukesRoosvelt in NYC)? Thanks for all your help!

 

[jackjinju]

I went to med school at Drexel....I wouldn't go there for IM if i had better choices.....

 

[jigganut]

I went to med school at Drexel....I wouldn't go there for IM if i had better choices.....

why do you say that? the residents all seemed happy, but that could just be a front. any insight is appreciated

 

[palliate]

Do you think UMass would be considered a better choice? 🙂

 

[jackjinju]

I'm just saying that about Drexel because I think it's not regarded that highly, and I don't like the instability of having Tenet around. Those are some of the main reasons.....i have not been there in a few years, so I don't know if things are very different now.

hope that helps.

 

[CityIvy]

hi palliate...i sent you a PM. b/c i'm currently a student at drexel, i think my assessment of the program may be more accurate than jackjinju's. it's actually financially stable now and even turning a profit. although it's reputation isn't as great as penn or jefferson...i still think it's better than umdnj-newark. i loved it at hahnemann and even though i didn't rotate at abington, i've heard from my classmates that there's great teaching there too. PM me if you have anymore questions. good luck with your decision!