Keck or Temple?

[medisaur]

Well it's down to these two and while most people have been saying Keck is the obvious choice, I just found out that I will be getting 12k from Temple per year and zippo from Keck, making Temple (surprisingly) cheaper. I'm a fairly easy-going person so location versus location is not a real issue. Any thoughts from the peanut gallery?! Please 🙂

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[flip26]

Follow the money! You will never go wrong if you do that...

 

[flaahless]

I know very little about Temple but i absolutely LOVED Keck. It was an amazing school. Superb clinical education, excellent prep for the boards. Keck truly offers a helluva education that very few schools can match.

 

[medisaur]

It can't always be about the money right?

I am actually a little skeptical about moving to the West Coast and LA. I'm from a big city, but LA is a BIG city. Philly has that small city feel despite it's size...

 

[pntgrd]

12k is not enough to make Temple the better choice. USC is much much better.

 

[mrhealth]

12k is not enough to make Temple the better choice. USC is much much better.

12k PER YEAR is a lot of money especially when the schools are so similar. I interviewed at both of these schools and found them to have identical strengths. What stood out the most is that both have an amazing clinical opportunity given where they are located. USC might have slightly more national recognition in terms of research, but to me that is definitely not worth almost 50k. For me, it would come down to location preference and the difference in cost. If the west/east coast difference doesn't play a role in your decision, then I would definitely choose Temple.

 

[flaahless]

12k PER YEAR is a lot of money especially when the schools are so similar. I interviewed at both of these schools and found them to have identical strengths. What stood out the most is that both have an amazing clinical opportunity given where they are located. USC might have slightly more national recognition in terms of research, but to me that is definitely not worth almost 50k. For me, it would come down to location preference and the difference in cost. If the west/east coast difference doesn't play a role in your decision, then I would definitely choose Temple.

I dunno man. I know very little about Temple, but USC boasts one of the highest USMLE averages in the nation. And they are a clinical powerhouse. Great with the books, great with the clinic = Keck is very tough to beat.

 

[pntgrd]

USC is a lot more well known and respected than Temple. It is not a slight difference. Plus, county usc is so unique.

 

[Jolie South]

I don't know anything about Keck, but I liked Temple. The students and faculty seemed friendly and laid back. I also liked the fact that it was in a rough neighborhood as this provided plenty of service opportunities.

 

[Character]

what????USC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow.

 

[mrhealth]

I dunno man. I know very little about Temple, but USC boasts one of the highest USMLE averages in the nation. And they have are a clinical powerhouse. Great with the books, great with the clinic = Keck is very tough to beat.

I respect that. I loved Keck. But I also loved Temple. I have said this before, but just because you goto Keck doesn't mean that you will perform well on the boards. If you are driven and study hard, you will do well whether you goto Keck, Temple, Harvard, or a school that nobody has heard of. I wouldn't take that into consideration because the school itself gives out no bonus points on the exam. These schools are very very similar, but Keck has more name recognition because of their research. If I was given a $50,000 discount and had no preference between east and west coast, I would take Temple without a doubt.

 

[medisaur]

I respect that. I loved Keck. But I also loved Temple. I have said this before, but just because you goto Keck doesn't mean that you will perform well on the boards. If you are driven and study hard, you will do well whether you goto Keck, Temple, Harvard, or a school that nobody has heard of. I wouldn't take that into consideration because the school itself gives out no bonus points on the exam. These schools are very very similar, but Keck has more name recognition because of their research. If I was given a $50,000 discount and had no preference between east and west coast, I would take Temple without a doubt.

This is why it's so hard to decide! Everyone says the school you go to doesn't but then every other person says go with the "best" school. How well I do on the boards is on me, but Keck must have higher averages for a reason, right? 50k is just so hard to pass up.

 

[braintrust]

to Start off with I interviewed at both was waitlisted at USC and accepted at Temple. I was incredibly impressed with both schools. Both Staffs were incredibly helpful and both have incredible critical care clinical programs with lots of trauma (USC is slightly better but temple is pretty close). USC's current more well respeccted for their research but that largely is a function of how much money is funneled thru the school. the facilities should be even once temple finishs construction of their new state of the art building. Both Schools really server the poor via their adjacent hospital. USC is Better in most comparisons but the new building helps to ameliorate that. Cost of living would be similar between philly and LA

From what I see you will have to determine whether USC's reputations are worth 48K. For me I would Say yeah.

 

[TheDundies]

considering the cost of living in LA (which i am willing to bet is a lot more than philly) there will be an even bigger difference in $ between the schools. plus you need a car in LA (not sure if you do in philadelphia?) seems you have two awesome schools to choose from though so hopefully a win-win🙂 good luck in your decision!

 

[medisaur]

bump! i'm still torn 🙁 help!

 

[TheRealMD]

Are you from Cali? Ever plan on living in Cali again? Then the choice is simpler.

 

[medisaur]

Nope, I'm from FL. If I do go to Cali, I'll probably move back to the East Coast for residency

 

[SScrewed]

I've been in S. Cali for 8yrs (upstate NY before then), and I think that living in LA is an opportunity in itself. Phili is gonna be cold and if you're from FL it's gonna by an unpleasant 4 yrs at Temple.

 

[dr midnight]

Well it's down to these two and while most people have been saying Keck is the obvious choice, I just found out that I will be getting 12k from Temple per year and zippo from Keck, making Temple (surprisingly) cheaper. I'm a fairly easy-going person so location versus location is not a real issue. Any thoughts from the peanut gallery?! Please 🙂

Both good schools check this out survey by students how they like the school remember you can't go wrong, good luck
http://www.amsa.org/premed/medsurvey/

 

[mrhealth]

This is why it's so hard to decide! Everyone says the school you go to doesn't but then every other person says go with the "best" school. How well I do on the boards is on me, but Keck must have higher averages for a reason, right? 50k is just so hard to pass up.

You make it sound like Temple has some mediocre reputation. Both schools are recognized as excellent clinical schools. If you aren't interested in research, then the advantage of going to USC is minimal if anything at all. Where you end up after medical school will be based on how YOU perform at whatever school you go to. If you are on the fence, you really need to base your decision on things like money and location. Temple seemed to be in a much sketchier neighborhood than USC, but I don't have any experience living in Philadelphia. I grew up in LA and know that people seem to either love it or hate it. A car is essentially a requirement (especially if attending Keck) and the traffic can be brutal. In my experience, people who come to live it up or are attracted by the glitz of entertainment tend to enjoy LA. Those that don't fall into this category can still enjoy themselves, but it may take some adjustment and time to find a 'scene' that you fit into. I think you have a great set of choices here and you really can't go wrong with either one, but you should base your decision on how your choice will effect YOU... whether that be identifying with the curriculum, your environment and location, your pocketbook, etc... not because a pre-med student says that they have heard of USC and not Temple.

 

[pntgrd]

You make it sound like Temple has some mediocre reputation. Both schools are recognized as excellent clinical schools. If you aren't interested in research, then the advantage of going to USC is minimal if anything at all. Where you end up after medical school will be based on how YOU perform at whatever school you go to. If you are on the fence, you really need to base your decision on things like money and location. Temple seemed to be in a much sketchier neighborhood than USC, but I don't have any experience living in Philadelphia. I grew up in LA and know that people seem to either love it or hate it. A car is essentially a requirement (especially if attending Keck) and the traffic can be brutal. In my experience, people who come to live it up or are attracted by the glitz of entertainment tend to enjoy LA. Those that don't fall into this category can still enjoy themselves, but it may take some adjustment and time to find a 'scene' that you fit into. I think you have a great set of choices here and you really can't go wrong with either one, but you should base your decision on how your choice will effect YOU... whether that be identifying with the curriculum, your environment and location, your pocketbook, etc... not because a pre-med student says that they have heard of USC and not Temple.

If you're talking about reputation, Temple isn't even ranked by USN in the top 100 for research or primary care. Temple is not in the same reputation league at USC. Temple's area seemed depressing. USC is also in a poor neighborhood but not as bad and close to cool areas of LA.

 

[mrhealth]

If you're talking about reputation, Temple isn't even ranked by USN in the top 100 for research or primary care. Temple is not in the same reputation league at USC. Temple's area seemed depressing. USC is also in a poor neighborhood but not as bad and close to cool areas of LA.

USC isn't ranked for primary care either and in my comment I say "if you aren't interested in research" because there is more research money that flows through USC. That being said, the clinical reputation of both schools is stellar. Choosing a school based one's impression of a school's general reputation is a recipe for not enjoying the next 4 years of your life.