Geisinger Commonwealth SOM vs Cooper Rowan (CMSRU)

[VJNewtownB35777]

Yo peeps,

I just wanted to get people's opinions on which school to attend.


Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

Pros:
-closer (about 45 min away from my family, which is definitely a big deal)
-students are happy
-true pass/fail for preclinical years
-match list seems to be pretty solid
-opportunities for research and faculty/admin are very approachable

Cons:
-located in camden, new jersey so not really a safe area
-new school so not really "established"


Geisinger Commonwealth SOM

Pros:
-really liked the curriculum
-students are happy
-safe area
-faculty/admin are all great
-match list is good
-pass fail preclinical

Cons:
-much farther from home (2+ hours)
-would need a car for sure

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[hiiiiiiiiiii]

Current M4 cooper student here. I'm not sure the "new" school is really a thing here anymore. Granted I'm one of my classes top students, but I've had interviews a Penn, Hopkins, MGH, Yale, Cleveland Clinic, etc this year in a moderately competitive specialty. We're far passed all the "growing pain" and "speed bumps" phase in terms of admin and curriculum. Also, if I'm not wrong, Geissenger was founded in 2008 and CMSRU in 2012, so not much of a difference there.

All that being said, both are solid schools and basically in the same exact same "tier" so I'd recommend just going wherever you feel you would be happier with your life outside of school.

 

[pigsinacloth]

If Cooper is in state for you I would choose it over Geisinger for cost and proximity to home. Also I just looked it up and Geisinger is 4 years older than Cooper, which is not a big difference as both have had multiple graduating classes and are established schools. I don't know much about either specific school, but Camden also provides you access to Philly and the opportunities that come with living in one of the largest cities in America.

 

[hiiiiiiiiiii]

If Cooper is in state for you I would choose it over Geisinger for cost and proximity to home. Also I just looked it up and Geisinger is 4 years older than Cooper, which is not a big difference as both have had multiple graduating classes and are established schools. I don't know much about either specific school, but Camden also provides you access to Philly and the opportunities that come with living in one of the largest cities in America.

Yeah as this person noted, over half the class lives in philly, another large portion lives in the suburbs of NJ, and maybe 20% live in Camden. The only thing that being in Camden is really relevant for is the underserved patient population

 

[VJNewtownB35777]

Current M4 cooper student here. I'm not sure the "new" school is really a thing here anymore. Granted I'm one of my classes top students, but I've had interviews a Penn, Hopkins, MGH, Yale, Cleveland Clinic, etc this year in a moderately competitive specialty. We're far passed all the "growing pain" and "speed bumps" phase in terms of admin and curriculum. Also, if I'm not wrong, Geissenger was founded in 2008 and CMSRU in 2012, so not much of a difference there.

All that being said, both are solid schools and basically in the same exact same "tier" so I'd recommend just going wherever you feel you would be happier with your life outside of school.

sweet, I had just heard the school was relatively new but not exactly how old, glad to here students are doing well here

 

[VJNewtownB35777]

If Cooper is in state for you I would choose it over Geisinger for cost and proximity to home. Also I just looked it up and Geisinger is 4 years older than Cooper, which is not a big difference as both have had multiple graduating classes and are established schools. I don't know much about either specific school, but Camden also provides you access to Philly and the opportunities that come with living in one of the largest cities in America.

gotcha, cooper is out of state for me, im from pa actually lol, but cooper is closer

 

[MedScat]

Cooper has an amazing reputation in the area, everyone I know that went there for both school and residency is extremely happy. Quality of life will be better in the Philly/Jersey area than in Scranton (unless you like a quieter, less food options type scene). I live in Collingswood NJ, a suburb right near Cooper and it's wonderful. I also interviewed at Geisinger and the students seemed happy but the area was soooo quiet with not much to do. Both solid programs, i think lifestyle is kind of the deciding factor here and Cooper wins in my book.

 

[hopefulERdoc251]

Former GCSOM alum - depends on what you're looking for - suburban/rural vs inner city. Geisinger is definitely more rural/suburban (Scranton isn't the most lively town) but if you're into rural med/FM stuff like that then geisinger isn't a bad choice.

Town/area:
I personally lived closer to home (~1 hour away) and found that to be an incredibly helpful thing for my own wellness. I could get home cooking, easily go home after an exam etc. Scranton's bar scene isn't really existent anymore due to COVID, and even before COVID it was sus. Most of us threw house parties.

Clinical stuff:
This might be a huge difference - cooper def gets inner city pathology whereas Geisinger gets more rural/farm pathology. Both have low SES patients with low health literacy but very different pathologies by that virtue. Rotations will probably be the same. As a PGY1, I didn't think any of my rotations helped me nor did I feel as though I was at a disadvantage compared to my intern class who probably had more robust rotations. Geisinger has a lot of residencies in house so you can definitely develop mentorship opportunities and our match has been pretty solid the last few years. FWIW, they are transitioning to a 1.5 yr curriculum as well so I'm sure there will be some growing pains with that.

Cost:
Geisinger is probably more expensive lol

PM me if you have any questions about Geisinger. There were some things that I wasn't the biggest fan of but welcome to med-ed. I didn't think the newer name of Geisinger limited my options for residency at all either.

 

[Banco]

Go to cooper and live in Philly or the Jersey suburbs. Both schools are about the same age.

 

[hiiiiiiiiiii]

Former GCSOM alum - depends on what you're looking for - suburban/rural vs inner city. Geisinger is definitely more rural/suburban (Scranton isn't the most lively town) but if you're into rural med/FM stuff like that then geisinger isn't a bad choice.

Town/area:
I personally lived closer to home (~1 hour away) and found that to be an incredibly helpful thing for my own wellness. I could get home cooking, easily go home after an exam etc. Scranton's bar scene isn't really existent anymore due to COVID, and even before COVID it was sus. Most of us threw house parties.

Clinical stuff:
This might be a huge difference - cooper def gets inner city pathology whereas Geisinger gets more rural/farm pathology. Both have low SES patients with low health literacy but very different pathologies by that virtue. Rotations will probably be the same. As a PGY1, I didn't think any of my rotations helped me nor did I feel as though I was at a disadvantage compared to my intern class who probably had more robust rotations. Geisinger has a lot of residencies in house so you can definitely develop mentorship opportunities and our match has been pretty solid the last few years. FWIW, they are transitioning to a 1.5 yr curriculum as well so I'm sure there will be some growing pains with that.

Cost:
Geisinger is probably more expensive lol

PM me if you have any questions about Geisinger. There were some things that I wasn't the biggest fan of but welcome to med-ed. I didn't think the newer name of Geisinger limited my options for residency at all either.

I love my time at Cooper and would earnestly recommend it to anyone, but for OOS, the tuition is pretty wild >$60k per year. Luckily I was instate. Cost is is def something OP should weigh heavily in this decison

 

[chilly_md]

I love my time at Cooper and would earnestly recommend it to anyone, but for OOS, the tuition is pretty wild >$60k per year. Luckily I was instate. Cost is is def something OP should weigh heavily in this decison

I believe Commonwealth is around the same tuition. PA doesn’t have a cheap in-state option.

 

[Shunsui]

2021-22 Geisinger tuition:
IS: $57,940
OOS: $64,365

Cost of attendance: MD program, year 1

These charts depict cost of attendance: MD program, year 1.

www.geisinger.edu

 

[medschoolapplicant101.]

How far is the commute to Cooper from Philly? Is it easy to find parking in Philadelphia by the train station? Trying to figure out options and if I will need a car there? If not Philly, what towns in Jersey where students choose to live (outside of Camden)? Thanks