Jefferson vs Temple vs GWU

[ljsf2013]

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maybe I wrote too much and this made the post confusing.
Jefferson, Temple, and GWU are all very comparable schools, so I'm just looking for anyone willing to contribute their 2 cents about these schools.

thanks

 

[majahops]

jeff.

 

[202781]

All of them are expensive private schools... That are not in the top 20, I say pick the place you want to live in.

 

[BlueElmo]

All of them are expensive private schools... That are not in the top 20, I say pick the place you want to live in.

I may be wrong, but I don't think any of them are ranked.

 

[majahops]

Did I miss something, or are you being a douche?

I may be wrong, but I don't think any of them are ranked.

 

[202781]

Did I miss something, or are you being a douche?

I think what he was getting at (and what I was getting at) is that none of them stand apart from the others in terms of rank.

I think one would be getting similar advice if the were asking

Harvard vs. Washington University vs. Hopkins

While I am sure there are differences in the programs...at the end of the day they are all top 5 programs and it will not make that much of a difference.

So in this case I think you should just pick the school that makes you happy.

 

[Dr Lyss]

I didn't interview at Jeff, but I did visit GW & Temple. I liked GW the most out of the 3 (this is just my personal feelings, not based on anything special). I think it is an exciting time to be in DC. My biggest dislike was the price tag. I'm pretty sure Temple & Jeff might be similarly priced.

If I were you, I'd make a detailed list of pros & cons for each school, putting the most emphasis on quality of education & cost since they are all in the same playing field.

 

[mbe36]

Can you go to any second look weekends before May 15th?

 

[bullpup777]

Temple University is a PA state school--Is the med school any different?

 

[Dr Lyss]

Temple University is a PA state school--Is the med school any different?

I think the med school is a mix of public and private. I know being a PA resident lowers your tuition slightly, but it is still a hefty sum.

 

[chessodoc]

First of all just because a school is not ranked does not mean it sucks...it means it chose not to participate in the US News and World Report's bs rankings. With that said I think Jefferson is like # 62 , at the low end of the ranked schools (although in my opinion is a really good school).

If you are going via location do know that Temple is in the middle of a super-philly-ghetto....so get mace/gun/bazooka or whatever suits your fancy.

 

[NotAndrew]

First of all just because a school is not ranked does not mean it sucks...it means it chose not to participate in the US News and World Report's bs rankings. With that said I think Jefferson is like # 62 , at the low end of the ranked schools (although in my opinion is a really good school).

If you are going via location do know that Temple is in the middle of a super-philly-ghetto....so get mace/gun/bazooka or whatever suits your fancy.

No but being on probation does.

 

[chessodoc]

No but being on probation does.

Are you talking about GWU? I was going to bring that up, but it seems the threat of probation is not academic.

 

[Bacchus]

Yeah. The probation for GWU is not academic.

 

[NotAndrew]

Are you talking about GWU? I was going to bring that up, but it seems the threat of probation is not academic.

Yeah, I would still go to GWU if it was my only acceptance, but if you have other options go with them.

 

[Jolie South]

I interviewed at all 3 and I liked Temple the best. Everyone's different.

I'd go with whichever you liked best from interview day and online research. I wouldn't worry about which is ranked "higher." Go where you think you'll be successful and you get the best aid package.

 

[Medstudent85]

If you are interested in Ortho, then you should do a bit of more research on Temple, they are better than Jeff on that. Otherwise, if you aren't a Philly resident then I can see how the school being in center city vs. north philly makes a difference. Otherwise you should know that after the first year, that won't matter. Although GWU's problems are not academic, why would I risk it?
Now your gauge of the student/faculty at each university will always be skewed based on the day you visit, who you encounter etc. Therefore, you should at least go to second look for both schools and reasses that.
Secondly, like prevoiusly mentioned , write down pros/cons that are more dry cut such as location, financial aid, research opportunities, hospital facilities, medical school resources, match list comparison over the past 5 years , and also your overall gut feeling (although not so "dry cut" it does have that psychological "feel good" feeling when you pick a place that you for some obscure , unknown reason, made you want to go there) .

Congrats,
Good Luck ,

 

[VincentAdultman]

If you are interested in Ortho, then you should do a bit of more research on Temple, they are better than Jeff on that.

1. I probably wouldn't pick based on what specialty you like 4 years before you graduate.

2. Even if I didn't belive #1, I'm pretty sure that is a blatantly wrong statement.

 

[xanthomondo]

If you are interested in Ortho, then you should do a bit of more research on Temple, they are better than Jeff on that. Otherwise, if you aren't a Philly resident then I can see how the school being in center city vs. north philly makes a difference. Otherwise you should know that after the first year, that won't matter. Although GWU's problems are not academic, why would I risk it?
Now your gauge of the student/faculty at each university will always be skewed based on the day you visit, who you encounter etc. Therefore, you should at least go to second look for both schools and reasses that.
Secondly, like prevoiusly mentioned , write down pros/cons that are more dry cut such as location, financial aid, research opportunities, hospital facilities, medical school resources, match list comparison over the past 5 years , and also your overall gut feeling (although not so "dry cut" it does have that psychological "feel good" feeling when you pick a place that you for some obscure , unknown reason, made you want to go there) .

Congrats,
Good Luck ,

Umm, have you ever heard of the Rothman Institute?

 

[RL536]

I did not visit Temple or Jeff, but I did visit GW and I really didn't like it. The student body did not seem happy at all, the best thing I heard about being a student at GW is being in DC, which you may or may not find appealing considering the cost of living on top of GW's hefty price tag. Plus, the probation thing is lousy. If you have other options, go for those. Clearly there are issues with GW, why risk it?

 

[GoWithHimTwain]

I visited Temple and Jefferson, and am also having trouble differentiating between the two. They certainly have different feels, but not to either's clear advantage in my perspective.

Temple's N. Philly locale sort of necessitates a more foundational aspect of medical service, although I don't think Jefferson is short on this. I've met at least a dozen of both Temple and Jefferson students outside of interviews, and the vast majority said they really liked their school, including going back a few years (consistency).

Go with your gut...

 

[VincentAdultman]

Does "foundational aspect of medical service" = working in the ghetto?

 

[student1799]

I did not visit Temple or Jeff, but I did visit GW and I really didn't like it. The student body did not seem happy at all, the best thing I heard about being a student at GW is being in DC, which you may or may not find appealing considering the cost of living on top of GW's hefty price tag. Plus, the probation thing is lousy. If you have other options, go for those. Clearly there are issues with GW, why risk it?

In the interest of fairness, I would like to point out that Jefferson was also on probation about 5 years ago. It was successfully resolved, of course, but there has NEVER been a case that I'm aware of that a probation has not been resolved.

The way I look at it, it might even make sense to go to a school that's on probation, because they'll be making a major effort to improve and will be anxious to keep students happy. On the other hand, if a school think's nothing's broken, nothing's going to get fixed.

 

[Medstudent85]

The Rothman Institute is probably the best center in the country for Spine Surgery, and Jefferson has probably one of the top 5 programs in Ortho, I wanted to stir some dirt and see if the OP actually did his research.. he probably didn't

 

[smq123]

In the interest of fairness, I would like to point out that Jefferson was also on probation about 5 years ago. It was successfully resolved, of course, but there has NEVER been a case that I'm aware of that a probation has not been resolved.

In the "interest of fairness," Jefferson was NOT on probation five years ago. TEMPLE, however, just got off of probation a few years ago.

Please, do your research first.

http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/medi...uts.Medical.School.On.Probation-3493052.shtml

 

[GoWithHimTwain]

Does "foundational aspect of medical service" = working in the ghetto?

North Philly is tough...Temple's made it a point to be invested in its community. I get the sense that the faculty invest more than the average faculty into medical service (although I could be mistaken). That's attractive to some people, not to others.

 

[student1799]

In the "interest of fairness," Jefferson was NOT on probation five years ago. TEMPLE, however, just got off of probation a few years ago.

Please, do your research first.

Then how do you explain this comment in Jefferson's AMSA survey results?

"The curriculum has been rapidly changing since LCME put us on probation 2 years ago. My experience as a 4th year now is very different than that of the present 1st years. With any luck, the institution will turn itself around in the next couple of years."

Found at this URL: http://www.amsa.org/premed/medsurvey/medsurveyresults.cfm

 

[smq123]

Then how do you explain this comment in Jefferson's AMSA survey results?

"The curriculum has been rapidly changing since LCME put us on probation 2 years ago. My experience as a 4th year now is very different than that of the present 1st years. With any luck, the institution will turn itself around in the next couple of years."

Found at this URL: http://www.amsa.org/premed/medsurvey/medsurveyresults.cfm

This is one of the many reasons that I STRONGLY dislike AMSA. Yeah, great job on the survey....except there's no frickin' date on it!

If you had read the rest of the comment:

I think that big changes and improvements are underway with Dean Nasca in charge

Dean Nasca hasn't been dean in a year and a half. He was first instated as Dean in 2000. Do you realize, first off, how old and outdated that review is??

(For the record, Dean Nasca left after being offered the chance to be president of the ACGME - i.e. the body that oversees all the residency programs in the US.)

Furthermore, Jefferson was still not on probation. I don't know what that comment is about (may be referring to the past LCME review, which is NOT the same thing as "probation"). Trust me, I was applying to Jefferson 5 years ago. If it had been on probation, I would have heard about it.

Temple, however, was most definitely on probation five years ago. I DID hear about it then. And I think that having TWO Philly med schools on probation at the same time would have been BIG news.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net//showthread.php?s=&threadid=58693&highlight=temple

 

[Transformers]

GO TO JEFFERSON MEDICAL IF U WANT DERMATOLOGY: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/133/original/academy/table6.htm

 

[student1799]

This is one of the many reasons that I STRONGLY dislike AMSA. Yeah, great job on the survey....except there's no frickin' date on it!

If you had read the rest of the comment:



Dean Nasca hasn't been dean in a year and a half. He was first instated as Dean in 2000. Do you realize, first off, how old and outdated that review is??

(For the record, Dean Nasca left after being offered the chance to be president of the ACGME - i.e. the body that oversees all the residency programs in the US.)

Furthermore, Jefferson was still not on probation. I don't know what that comment is about (may be referring to the past LCME review, which is NOT the same thing as "probation"). Trust me, I was applying to Jefferson 5 years ago. If it had been on probation, I would have heard about it.

Temple, however, was most definitely on probation five years ago. I DID hear about it then. And I think that having TWO Philly med schools on probation at the same time would have been BIG news.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net//showthread.php?s=&threadid=58693&highlight=temple

My apologies. I didn't know the comment was inaccurate/out of date. I figured that since the online AMSA surveys started in '04 or '05, that the comment related to 2 years before that, i.e. around '02 or '03. I also thought the comment sounded plausible, because another respondent made reference to curriculum reforms as this one did.

I have no animus whatsoever against Jefferson--I just wanted to be balanced about what I believed to be the facts. I regret my error. My overall point, though, is that being on probation is not necessarily a disaster. In addition to GW, a number of schools have been on probation in the last few years, including UMDNJ [they were on probation with Middle States, not LCME] and Rosalind Franklin, and they were hardly destroyed by the experience; in fact, I'd say the consensus is that these schools improved as a result.

 

[smq123]

My apologies. I didn't know the comment was inaccurate/out of date. I figured that since the online AMSA surveys started in '04 or '05, that the comment related to 2 years before that, i.e. around '02 or '03. I also thought the comment sounded plausible, because another respondent made reference to curriculum reforms as this one did.

I have no animus whatsoever against Jefferson--I just wanted to be balanced about what I believed to be the facts. I regret my error.

No worries. I've had issues with that particular survey in the past, because prospective applicants have posted it on SDN before. They then say something along the lines of, "Gee, I don't know if I want to go to Jefferson after reading that, at least until Dean Nasca has a chance to turn things around." ::

My comments were also in the interest of balance and fairness. Temple is a good school with very good students - I've had a chance to rotate with some of their students, who were great to work with. But I don't want people to get the wrong idea about Jefferson, either. 🙂

 

[NicoDuval]

Jefferson is ranked in the 30's somewhere in both research and family care. Temple is somewhere in the 60's or 70's. Still, neither one has any name recognition over the other that would ever help you. I interviewed at both and liked both of them. Jefferson was in a little better area and I would actually consider living near campus. Temple is a definitely don't live near campus. Can't help with GW, but just go with where you felt the most comfortable.

 

[Jake2013MD]

temple is almost entirely patient-oriented, and they absolutely don't pretend to be something they're not. i think that says a lot about the medical school and the quality of education one would receive there. ultimately, i think temple's location works to its advantage, and there is something to be said about not living across the street from your medical school. all of the temple students i know are completely grateful to live throughout different parts of the city. to some degree, it allows them to maintain their sanity. the two schools are completely different, though, and in the end you should go with your gut.

 

[Medstudent85]

Go to Temple, live close to Jefferson. 🙂 thats what I'll be doing

 

[Rzarecta]

If costs will be about the same with your financial aid packages I say Jefferson by a mile.

My reasons are:

1. Location- Temple's location is very rough, no way around that. I actually interviewed there a few years ago, and the one thing that stuck in my mind was their pride in the stadium lights on top of the hospital, so that it was "as bright as day during night." I don't know about the other kids on the tour but that didn't make me feel much safer.

2. Reputation- The general consensus is that Jefferson is a solid average/above average school, Temple is considered generally lower that that.

3. Did I say location?