How would you rank these PA schools?

[unsure1770]

I recall seeing a thread like this, but I couldn't relocate it, and I was hoping that more people would have input this time.

In terms of reputation, how would you rank Drexel, Jefferson, Temple, Penn State?

I would appreciate any/all input from applicants and/or current students. Thanks!

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[Misfit!]

I recall seeing a thread like this, but I couldn't relocate it, and I was hoping that more people would have input this time.

In terms of reputation, how would you rank Drexel, Jefferson, Temple, Penn State?

I would appreciate any/all input from applicants and/or current students. Thanks!

Try the search function.

But reputation wise is probably the following:

Jefferson/Penn State> Temple> Drexel

 

[Towelie]

Jefferson >>> Penn State/Temple >>> Drexel

Jefferson is by far the best.

 

[geno2568]

jefferson is the best
the other three are more about personal preference
temple if u want great emergency medicine and gsw's, drexel if u want a nice urban environment, penn state if u are from pa and want a state school

 

[desout777]

.

 

[DrAverageJoe]

I'm not sure about the schools in Philly bc I didn't apply to all of them, but I was very impressed by Penn State when I interviewed there. The atmosphere and general friendliness of the student body and faculty made the school highly appealing to me. In terms of reputation, I've heard that Penn State gets over $40M in NIH funding, and their MCAT/GPA averages are fairly high. If they had provided US News with information, I'd think they'd do quite well in the ranking.

 

[Erina]

jefferson is the best
the other three are more about personal preference
temple if u want great emergency medicine and gsw's, drexel if u want a nice urban environment, penn state if u are from pa and want a state school

penn state is good for other reasons! they're really big on humanities, so if that's an interest of yours, it'd be a good school. they're big on primary care, too. and being from pa really doesn't help much with ANY medical school in this state.

 

[Eric Lindros]

jefferson is the best
the other three are more about personal preference
temple if u want great emergency medicine and gsw's, drexel if u want a nice urban environment, penn state if u are from pa and want a state school

ha, no. Let me guess, you have never even been to PA? Drexel with a "nice urban environment"? You have to be kidding.

In my opinion, Jefferson = Penn State = Temple and Drexel is slightly worse than those three. The problem is, every school is different (and I have interviewed at all of them)

Jefferson is big on clinical medicine. In fact, they don't stress research at all and you won't find much research opportunities, as they pride themselves on being good clinicians. Contrast this with Penn State, where you are forced to do research (and PSU has great research opportunities) to graduate. In that aspect, Penn State is a better school because Lord knows, competative residencies love to see things like research. That said Jefferson will probably teach you slightly better clinical skills.

All the schools are basically equal and your decision should probably be based on cost if you ask me. A doctor from these schools will all be looked at equally (only considering school alone) with Drexel as a possible exception

 

[Misfit!]

ha, no. Let me guess, you have never even been to PA? Drexel with a "nice urban environment"? You have to be kidding.

haha yeah. Having lived in Philly, I can just say I was terrified at times walking through Drexel area. Temple isn't much better. Even UPenn's campus is right smack next to a ghetto. The only 'nice urban environment' is Jefferson's campus.

 

[Eric Lindros]

haha yeah. Having lived in Philly, I can just say I was terrified at times walking through Drexel area. Temple isn't much better. Even UPenn's campus is right smack next to a ghetto. The only 'nice urban environment' is Jefferson's campus.

I agree that Jefferson's area is the nicest, but I have even heard bad stories about that location.

People who don't know anything about Philly have this misconception that Drexel med is in a "nice" area because its in Farmount Park. But after watching the Philly news and seeing the day to day rape, murder, and theft that happens in the Park, you change your mind.

I don't want to put anyone in a bad mood, but here is an article about a Drexel Med student (4th year) who lived in this "nice urban environment" It took me all but 10 seconds to find

http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/crime/2003/072603inqmain.asp

 

[star6927]

Honestly, having worked in the Roxborough/Manyunk/East Falls area, Drexel is not nearly in as scary a part of town as Temple. In the past 2 months alone I have had 2 friends mugged and beaten on Temple campus (in the bright lights of the school's police force). Referring to that article from 2003, no it is not very smart to go running in Fairmount Park at night, but the area right around the Queen Lane campus is pretty nice and Manyunk is a fun part of town.

 

[Saabdriver]

Penn>Pitt>Jefferson/Penn State>Temple>Drexel

 

[ucsdpirate]

where does Yale's PA school rank? An old friend from High school just got in and he got a big head. Just wondering, gosh!

 

[SmoothNC]

where does Yale's PA school rank? An old friend from High school just got in and he got a big head. Just wondering, gosh!

Dude...PA= Pennsylvania not Physician's Assistant

 

[koennen]

I agree that Jefferson's area is the nicest, but I have even heard bad stories about that location.

Yeah, in 2004 a Jefferson med student was beaten to death with a baseball bat by a former classmate. Sh$$t happens everywhere.

 

[Eric Lindros]

Honestly, having worked in the Roxborough/Manyunk/East Falls area, Drexel is not nearly in as scary a part of town as Temple. In the past 2 months alone I have had 2 friends mugged and beaten on Temple campus (in the bright lights of the school's police force). Referring to that article from 2003, no it is not very smart to go running in Fairmount Park at night, but the area right around the Queen Lane campus is pretty nice and Manyunk is a fun part of town.

Agree. Temple is about as bad as it gets in Philly, especially since its close to the notorious "Badlands"

 

[Misfit!]

Yeah, in 2004 a Jefferson med student was beaten to death with a baseball bat by a former classmate. Sh$$t happens everywhere.

oh my gosh. Poor kid. Moral of the story: never piss off any gunners.

 

[ICCONFETTI]

Penn>Pitt>Jefferson/Penn State>Temple>Drexel

I was wondering Penn State's stats for average MCAT/GPA. I just got an interview invite from there and am wondering how it compares to the two UMDNJ schools..
hmm


Also, does anyone know how far away it is from philly? taking into account philly traffic?

 

[Misfit!]

I was wondering Penn State's stats for average MCAT/GPA. I just got an interview invite from there and am wondering how it compares to the two UMDNJ schools..
hmm


Also, does anyone know how far away it is from philly? taking into account philly traffic?

its about 1.5 (?) hours from philly (and 20 min from harrisburg). Its not ranked by US news, bc they don't report funding or something, but reputation-wise its probably on par with or even a bit better than the NJ schools.

 

[Erina]

I was wondering Penn State's stats for average MCAT/GPA. I just got an interview invite from there and am wondering how it compares to the two UMDNJ schools..
hmm

from their website:

Mean undergraduate GPA 3.65

Average MCAT scores:
Verbal Reasoning 9.06
Physical Sciences 9.51
Writing Sample "P"
Biological Sciences 10.05

 

[deltoid618]

bump

 

[tp709]

Penn>Pitt>Jefferson/Penn State>Temple>Drexel

I agree with this

 

[Taus]

I agree with this

cough...where's PCOM on the list...cough.....jk...carry on

 

[tp709]

cough...where's PCOM on the list...cough.....jk...carry on

well, this is the pre-allo, not pre-osteo forum
If we included PCOM then we'd have to add in LECOM as well

 

[Taus]

well, this is the pre-allo, not pre-osteo forum
If we included PCOM then we'd have to add in LECOM as well

I know...I was kidding...

 

[smq123]

Jefferson is big on clinical medicine. In fact, they don't stress research at all and you won't find much research opportunities, as they pride themselves on being good clinicians. Contrast this with Penn State, where you are forced to do research (and PSU has great research opportunities) to graduate. In that aspect, Penn State is a better school because Lord knows, competative residencies love to see things like research.

It's true that Jefferson is big on clinical medicine, and that this is the message that they push on interview day. The thing is, as you said, competitive residencies like to see applicants with research, and our administration is very aware of this. When you actually become a student here, then they make a big deal about summer research - they hold symposiums, and information sessions, and bombard you with emails about research opportunities, etc. They don't do as much bench research here, but Jefferson does a LOT of clinical and community/public health research. Plus, you do have to do some basic science research as a 4th year, although, again, it might not necessarily be bench research.

They don't go into details during the interview day because, when you're an applicant, all you really need to hear is the catch phrase. But there's a lot more that goes on, in terms of research.

oh my gosh. Poor kid. Moral of the story: never piss off any gunners.

From what I've been told, the student was not a gunner - he had some psychiatric problems (possibly schizophrenia?), and had been advised to take a leave of absence from school so he could deal with them. During his leave of absence, he started stalking her and eventually killed her.

I know, I know - you were probably kidding, and I'm sorry to be so solemn and serious. It's just that one of my friends was in the same class as these people, and knew both of them pretty well. She had a really hard time dealing with this, and couldn't really wrap her mind around the idea that the attacker could snap like that.

its about 1.5 (?) hours from philly (and 20 min from harrisburg).

More like 2 - 2.5 hours. Somewhere around there.

 

[Heimerfink]

Penn>Pitt>Jefferson/Penn State>Temple>Drexel

agreed

 

[gsmithers68]

Just to preface... these are all good schools. I think anyone who attends one of these institutions has a bright future as a physician as long as they work hard and utilize the opportunities that surround them.

In terms of prestige list goes:

Penn>Pitt>Jeff/PennState/Temple>Drexel.

In terms of residency directors giving a hoot about where you are from I would say it probably doesn't matter as long as you have good LORs, substantial clinical experience in your field of interest, good grades, and good scores on the USMLE.

I don't know why its a one or the other decision about these kinds of things. Maybe for self-validation purposes you need that extra prestige, but lets be honest NONE of these schools are in good parts of town except for Jefferson, but then you have to ask yourself how much does it really matter because you are going to spend most of your waking life inside a textbook, lecture hall, in a hospital, and a research lab.

If you are contrasting these schools to make a decision it comes down to the following in no particular order:

A. Money
B. What residency you are thinking about if any? (People have mentioned and I should reiterate, different schools have different strengths.)
C. Whether you connected with the school or not
D. The curriculum structure
E. Clinical opportunities
F. Research opportunities (if you want to go into academia)
G. The type of students you met when you visited