Maryland vs. Jefferson

[cafine]

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I'm having a tough time deciding between Jefferson and Maryland. I'm out of state, so cost is about the same. I don't really like Philadelphia, but I am very familiar with the city, while I don't know Baltimore at all. My biggest issue, I think, is that Jefferson was my first interview, so I spent more effort being nervous than getting a subjective assessment of how much I liked the school.

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Go Sens Go]

I interviewed at Jeff and it was OK. Big school though being at 250+ students, so you won't get as much personalized experience. I interviewed first at UKentucky and was accepted so I'm basing my experience at Jeff based on that. Thing is, the dean of UK (Jay Perman) will become the prez of U Maryland Baltimore this summer. From what I have seen, Perman has done tons for UK. I expect him to have a special place in his role for U Maryland medicine.

Although, if Baltimore is anything like "The Wire"...:S

 

[koennen]

I'm having a tough time deciding between Jefferson and Maryland. I'm out of state, so cost is about the same. I don't really like Philadelphia, but I am very familiar with the city, while I don't know Baltimore at all. My biggest issue, I think, is that Jefferson was my first interview, so I spent more effort being nervous than getting a subjective assessment of how much I liked the school.

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

I don't know what you don't like about Philly, but I guarantee you that you'll like Baltimore a lot less. My sister is graduating from Hopkins this month so I've gotten to know Baltimore over the past four years. There is simply no comparison. On any criterion on which you compare the two cities, Philly will win hands down. Not even close. Most of my out-of-state classmates really like Philadelphia. I'd be very surprised to hear the same sentiment from Maryland students about Baltimore.

 

[cafine]

I interviewed at Jeff and it was OK. Big school though being at 250+ students, so you won't get as much personalized experience. I interviewed first at UKentucky and was accepted so I'm basing my experience at Jeff based on that. Thing is, the dean of UK (Jay Perman) will become the prez of U Maryland Baltimore this summer. From what I have seen, Perman has done tons for UK. I expect him to have a special place in his role for U Maryland medicine.

Although, if Baltimore is anything like "The Wire"...:S

From my google searches, it appears Jay Perman will be at UMB, not Maryland, so that's not a factor. Thanks though!

 

[URHere]

From my google searches, it appears Jay Perman will be at UMB, not Maryland, so that's not a factor. Thanks though!

UMB is an abbreviation that also stands for "University of Maryland, Baltimore", so yes...Perman is going to Maryland.

But back to your question. I don't have any personal experience with these two schools, but I did grow up in Baltimore and I can offer a little bit of perspective on the city. Yes, Baltimore is a rough city. Yes, your car will probably be broken into at some point if you park it on the street. That being said, the side of town housing the University of Maryland is much nicer and safer than the side housing Johns Hopkins. You would still want to avoid wandering around by yourself at night, but you won't have to run from the parking garage into your academic buildings.

I do consider Baltimore fairly small by large city standards. There is a lot of history there, and some great restaurants, but not nearly the level of entertainment you would find in a place like Philly. However, Baltimore is very close to DC, to some nice beach towns, and to some amazing hikes and caves (if you are of the outdoorsy sort).

I guess my point is that the UMaryland side of Baltimore is not so scary that it should scare you away. Make your decision based on what you want in a school and in a city, not on "The Wire".

 

[Kb041]

Did you go to second looks? What did you think?

There are rough patches in every city. Philly has some scary places, just as Baltimore does. There is usally a part of every city that is sketchy, its just the nature of cities.

Some things that you might consider:

Housing??? Cost/abiltiy to live close to the med school for low cost
Clinical Rotations???
Class size???? Jeff has one of the largest classes in the nation
Campus amenities???
Research opportunities??? If thats important to you

I'm not sure where you are from, but don't make your decision on some documentary. West Philly is equally as scary. If you park your car anywhere in a city and leave your GPS in the window it will probably get broken into. Baltimore has a lot of beautiful places (Inner Harbor) and awesome hospitals. As does Philly. It should really come down to where you are comfortable, but that shouldn't equate to where you think you'll have less of a chance of getting mugged.

 

[MDclassof2014]

I am in the same boat. I have been accepted to both schools and I am having trouble deciding. I grew up in Baltimore, and I am a resident of MD so I receive in-state tuition.

I enjoyed my interview experience at Jefferson much more than at Maryland. The students seemed genuinely happy and seemed to enjoy their experience so far. The Maryland students that we ate lunch with (1st years) seemed immature and complained about how much work they have the whole time. Is there anyone that might be able to make light of this situation for me?

Any other thoughts would be great because I am having a difficult time trying to decide which school to attend.

 

[derArzt]

I am in the same boat. I have been accepted to both schools and I am having trouble deciding. I grew up in Baltimore, and I am a resident of MD so I receive in-state tuition.

I enjoyed my interview experience at Jefferson much more than at Maryland. The students seemed genuinely happy and seemed to enjoy their experience so far. The Maryland students that we ate lunch with (1st years) seemed immature and complained about how much work they have the whole time. Is there anyone that might be able to make light of this situation for me?

Any other thoughts would be great because I am having a difficult time trying to decide which school to attend.

I'd say go with tuition at this point (seems like a large difference). A handfull of the school you met may sometimes represent the rest, but it could also be really skewed.
Plus Maryland has a great reputation.

 

[Stixman28]

I am in the same boat. I have been accepted to both schools and I am having trouble deciding. I grew up in Baltimore, and I am a resident of MD so I receive in-state tuition.

I enjoyed my interview experience at Jefferson much more than at Maryland. The students seemed genuinely happy and seemed to enjoy their experience so far. The Maryland students that we ate lunch with (1st years) seemed immature and complained about how much work they have the whole time. Is there anyone that might be able to make light of this situation for me?

Any other thoughts would be great because I am having a difficult time trying to decide which school to attend.

There are plenty of immature med students everywhere. Keep in mind that many med students are only 22-23. And just for reference, I consider myself among the more mature at md, as I am a non trad, and even I complain about the amount of work I have all the time. (it's a lot! 😉

UMB is great, tuition is great. My friends at jeff love it there too, but are paying twice as much. Our class seems to really enjoy the nightlife in bmore, so if you come in with a good attitude, it is possible to enjoy baltimore too.