Originally posted by banannie
thanks so much for your advice!
Adjectives that I have heard used to describe Jefferson are "conservative" and "competitive", and to be honest, that has scared me off a bit. I'd be much more comfortable in an atmosphere that really embraces diversity and cooperation, and where students and faculty are more on the progressive end of the political spectrum. But I hear that things at Jefferson, particularly the grading system, are changing. And I do keep reading on interview feedback that, like you said, Jefferson is much more impressive in person than on paper.
And of course, the fact that DW got some nice scholarship money from Jefferson, made me think twice. I realize I'm not high on Jefferson's priority list (hence my late interview), but just the idea that there are tons of alumni floating around waiting to throw money at students is kind of exciting.
Hi Banannie,
I'm a Jefferson first year, and I also heard lots of the rumors that you also heard. I'll try to let you know where *I* agree and disagree.
First about financial aid and "priority": I was interviewed in late March, and was waitlisted. I was accepted (called by Dean Callahan) in July. I did the financial aid info, and everything went perfectly well. They were very competant, and gave me a good deal -- they gave me a few scholarships (ie free money), a few Jefferson low-interest loans (5%, no interest until 1 year post graduation) and also a federal low-interest loan and Stafford loans to make up the rest. I was very happy with the financial aid. I have heard that they do sometimes give very generous financial aid out, but I assume that is very much on a case by case basis. You could always see if you could use a financial aid offer at one school to leverage generosity at another.
This was the first year that Jefferson went to a H/P/F system. I LOVE it. It absolutely takes the insane pressure off (even though I still get stressed at times) but people are absolutely always learning to learn as much as possible -- so it's more about learning the material to be a knowledgeable physician rather than for a grade. I can't speak as someone stressing to get honors, because I generally don't -- if I do, it's a happy coincidence. I am very very glad it's H/P/F and I think it's a really important aspect of the Jefferson system.
I also heard about competition, and I really don't feel it. Students are all the time working in groups, and teaching each other tidbits, or even sharing miserable lab practical grades. Preparing for exams, people really help each other out, coach each other, and ask people they barely know for help -- and help is generally given, very kindly and happily. So again, I really have only seen some people be competitive who are really hyper about trying to get honors -- complain that they missed it by one point etc...but those types of people will be in every medical school, so you can just ignore them (or gossip about them with likeminded friends).
In terms of diversity, Jefferson ranks pretty low on that -- I know it's something they want to improve, and I'm not sure it's very different from most med schools, except for maybe Temple and Howard etc. But diversity groups are very active and have lots of cultural events that everyone is invited to -- very welcoming.
For the most part, I do find students and faculty to be progressive and open-minded. There will be some in any med school class who are not. For example, in an ethics class, the prof asked us (if we were comfortable) to raise our hands if we were pro-choice. Out of a class of about 200 or so (estimating how many attended the lecture), the vast majority raised their hands. About 20 or so raised their hands as pro-life.
A few things I am impressed with about Jefferson. I personally am happy with their teaching style -- it is mostly lecture based, with some small discussion groups. I like being taught the basic information, learning it, and then incorporating it further using clinical examples, which is usually the approach. They try to provide us with lots of clinical examples, and visits to clinics to learn about patients and illnesses.
I also have been very impressed with how receptive the faculty and school are to our input. They are really anxious to hear what we like and don't like and how we'd like to see things improved.
Things that I haven't loved: I wish that Jefferson were affiliated with an undergrad institution. You miss out on the facilities and events of a large university when you got to a free-standing medical school. For instance, I personally think the library is crappy. The gym leaves something to be desired. But students here seem happy enough and able to study and work out. I often go and use the UPenn library, or study at coffee shops. There also also other gyms nearby that are more fancy if you like that, and they can be cheap.
I also came from Boston and this has been one of the harder adjustments. I was expecting Philly to be a larger city. It is much smaller than Boston, and I like Boston a lot more -- although Philly's character is growing on me. There are certainly lots of little neighborhoods (china town, italian market, south street etc), but nothing on the scale of Boston. The subway is more like the Commuter Rail rather than the T. I take buses if I want to go somewhere "far" in the city. Mostly I walk, and it's great that Jefferson is very central. It's also an adjustment because Boston is more segregated -- poor from comfortable. It's more integrated in this way in Center City. You're not hanging out in Coolidge Corner or Davis Square. It's a little closer to Central Square (without necessarily the funky shops -- look to South Street for that).
Sorry for such a long post, but there are so many things you could say about your school! Email me with any further questions.
-J
