Jefferson versus Penn State Hershey

[pamed]

Other than the obvious City vs. Rural any other comments?

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[nala]

I was accepted into both Jefferson and PSU. Both are on a "block" system so that's not too much of a difference
Jefferson has a class size 228,and a TON of extra-curricular activities/groups (ie HOPE). I heard from a current 3rd year that it can be very competitive. They used to (I don't know if they still do this) post all of your exam grades with your names. So everyone in the class knew exactly how everyone else did. I personally wouldn't like that.
PSU has a much smaller class sizes, I think around 130 or so. I worked at the med center for a while and I think, overall, the students seem to be very friendly. It is also only about 10 minutes from Harrisburg, which has some decent bars. I believe PSU has a second look day ( I don't know when it is) and I know Jefferson has one as well. Attending those might give you a better feel for each school.

I chose not to attend either of these schools for financial reasons (it was cheaper for me to attend a school as an out-of-state student than it would have been for me to go to either or these schools as PA resident).
If cost is a factor, you should also realize that Jefferson's cost of attendance is between 52,000-56,000/year, while Penn State's is 42,500. Both of those amounts are for in-state residents.
Hope that helps

 

[dmk724]

I was accepted into both Jefferson and PSU. Both are on a "block" system so that's not too much of a difference
Jefferson has a class size 228,and a TON of extra-curricular activities/groups (ie HOPE). I heard from a current 3rd year that it can be very competitive. They used to (I don't know if they still do this) post all of your exam grades with your names. So everyone in the class knew exactly how everyone else did. I personally wouldn't like that.

Good post. Just a few things:

1) Jefferson's class size is expanding to about 250. This is in response to the expected physician shortage, and many medical schools are increasing their class size as well. (Especially the California schools.)

2) Jefferson's gotten much less "competitive" now that we've switched to the Honors/Pass/Fail system, and don't have numerical grades. We're definitely not slackers, but it's not a cut-throat atmosphere either. Everyone's really cooperative and we all help each other out. The current third years are the last class to have had numerical grades, so their comments about Jefferson aren't always completely accurate.

3) Grades are NOT publicly posted. (Thankfully!) They're emailed to you, so only you have access to them. You might come across an old grade sheet list from the early 1990s still stuck on a wall in a back hallway somewhere, but I don't think that they've publicly posted grades since email become commonplace.

Good luck!

 

[pamed]

Thanks so much for the helpful information!

 

[sunnyjohn]

3) Grades are NOT publicly posted. (Thankfully!) They're emailed to you, so only you have access to them. You might come across an old grade sheet list from the early 1990s still stuck on a wall in a back hallway somewhere, but I don't think that they've publicly posted grades since email become commonplace.

Good luck!

I know you said they don't do this, but isn't publically posting grades illegal?

I've been checking out the stuff written about Jefferson, and I have to say, It's looking really good to me...Really heavy clinical focus, right?

 

[scootad.]

Consider where you want to be for residency. Jeff has some very competitive residencies in rads, derm, etc. and if you are interested in these fields you may be able to make connections and get good LOR for residency. Plus they would likely favor you having come from their school. That said, you might not be a city person, and Penn st isnt a bad option for a rural residency. I get the feeling that med school there might be less intense and less cutthroat. good luck!

 

[dmk724]

I know you said they don't do this, but isn't publically posting grades illegal?

I've been checking out the stuff written about Jefferson, and I have to say, It's looking really good to me...Really heavy clinical focus, right?

Yes, it has a really heavy clinical focus. What with preceptor visits and JeffHope visits, you have a lot of patient exposure.

Posting grades is not, as far as I know, illegal. Even when they used to post grades, I think they only used student ID numbers, not names. But I really can't tell you for sure, since, like I said, they haven't been posting grades for years.

Anyway, as for Penn State vs. Jefferson, I don't know much about Penn State. I didn't apply to Penn State, so I didn't really look into the school. Med school, no matter where you go, is intense. There is so much stuff to learn, and so little time, that it's a crazy whirlwind, regardless of the school. Jefferson, since we're on the H/P/F system, and since there is no grading curve, is not cut-throat at all. People pass around study guides and helpful website links all the time.

For me, location was important. I couldn't go to school in a rural, or even suburban, location. I need a city so that I have someplace to go when I need to get away from school. (i.e. museums, theaters, concert halls, etc.)

Jefferson is a large school, with an incoming class of around 250. Penn State is considering increasing its class size from 135 to 145, although they need to make sure that they have the space to do so. I like having such a big class, otherwise I think I'd feel claustrophobic. Remember - you'll be in class for about 10 months. And, unlike college, you don't switch classrooms in between classes, so it really is the same people over and over again. Just something to think about.

 

[jeff2005]

I'm a 4th year at Jefferson and I don't find it cut throat at all. Quite the contrary, actually. The administration is also very supportive, even to the point that I feel like they baby us. I've had a great experience at Jeff.