Hackensack vs. Bridges program Downstate

[brainbuddy]

Hello SDN community!!

I have been accepted into Hackensack as well as the Bridges to Medicine Program at Downstate and need help deciding where to go.

Downstate PRO:

• Bridges is an M.S. program for URM candidates and upon successful completion candidates are offered acceptance into Downstate's School of Medicine
• NYC!! (which is home for me)
• Cheap & easy commute
• Tuition is cheaper and I would save over $110K compared to Hackensack
• Downstate has AMAZING clinical experience
• working with a population of patients I care about

Downstate CON:

• I have heard that Masters to MD programs are predatory and they only want your $$$ (but I'm hoping this program is different bc it is geared towards URMs?)
• Bridges' conditional acceptance to Downstate MD program is scary (what if I don't make it??)
• Downstate admin is notoriously unsupportive of students
• state school means less $$$ for academic programs (and research?)
• Facilities are old

Hackensack PRO:

• P3R program sounds like an amazing opportunity if I wanted to match directly into a Hackensack residency
• they have a neuroscience institute (I have a background in neuroscience and will likely stay in a related medical profession)
• Hackensack Meridian Health is pumping $$$ into their medical school, meaning more funding for academic support/services
• Facilities are modern and NICE
• sounds like there are more faculty-student interactions and mentorship

Hackensack CON:

• 4 yr curriculum is condensed into 3 yrs, which sounds stressful
• students barely have summer vacation
• commute would not be ideal/could become expensive
• some clinical rotations would be VERY far away
• tuition is wildly expensive

Any sage advice and wisdom is greatly appreciated in these tough decision-making times. Many thanks in advance.

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[brainbuddy]

Admission to Downstate is guaranteed if I maintain a B average in the Masters program, however I was told by a current student that the classes are pass/fail. Its kind of hard to get consistent info from Downstate, which is pretty telling of their admin. But I agree that the money saved is huge.

 

[Bowel-Plumber]

Is that 110k difference based on the cost of the Downstate MD program vs Hackensack MD program? Or does that difference already account the cost of the masters?

If you’re forced to take a 40k masters but the med school tuition cost difference is 110k then the true cost difference is 70k and a year of your life/a year you could have been making attending salary.

It honestly doesn’t really change my decision though, I was just more so curious what the true cost difference is. I am voting for Hackensack regardless. That money is much less than wasting a year on your life for a masters degree you don’t even need. Plus the uncertainty of not having a guaranteed seat in the MD program is enough to say its just not worth it.

You’d really rather waste another year of your life than to just go to school in Jersey? I think you’ll be just fine at Hackensack