med school choices... help!

[wesgirl04]

hi, i really need advice on deciding between the 3 med schools i was accepted to: drexel, albany, and wayne state....
i don't even know where to begin in comparing the three schools, they seem pretty similar academically and match list wise, wayne and drexel are big while albany is small... and then there is location, which i guess is silly (is it?) for me to be focusing on.... but i guess of the 3 i'd rather be near philadelphia, then albany, and last choice being detroit...

how did you decide what school to go to? what factors did you compare? i just don't even know where to start.

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[exmike]

hi, i really need advice on deciding between the 3 med schools i was accepted to: drexel, albany, and wayne state....
i don't even know where to begin in comparing the three schools, they seem pretty similar academically and match list wise, wayne and drexel are big while albany is small... and then there is location, which i guess is silly (is it?) for me to be focusing on.... but i guess of the 3 i'd rather be near philadelphia, then albany, and last choice being detroit...

how did you decide what school to go to? what factors did you compare? i just don't even know where to start.

you could start by telling us what state you're a resident of.

 

[wesgirl04]

you could start by telling us what state you're a resident of.

i'm from MI originally (thus wayne state) and i go to school in CT now...
but i have a sister that goes to school in DC, and that's one reason the location in PA would be a draw...

 

[exmike]

Well if your'e a MI resident, i think just based on tuition alone I would go to wayne since the other two arent justified in terms of price. You already indicated you feel the three schools are about equal, so you should decide if ppaying private school tuition is worth living in a better location. Personally I wouldnt do it.

I'd go to wayne.

 

[canada]

location(city life) and friends/relatives

 

[Tezzie]

Wayne

 

[derf]

no contest, wayne state

 

[quideam]

Seems that Wayne State is the best choice. Drexel is by far the last...

 

[wesgirl04]

so it seems that wayne state is the (nearly) unanimous choice... for financial reasons? are there other reasons for which wayne state would be a superiour institution?

can anyone else share their experiences about wayne state? ... and about the quality of life in detroit? ... even being a native michigander, i feel that maybe i'm not giving detroit the benefit of the doubt... is it a livable city? what about the fact that all the students seem to live in the suburbs and commute everyday? anyone know if there is any truth to the rumour that wayne state is having serious financial difficulties?

also, i'm curious as to why drexel would be "by far the last"...

thanks again for all of your opinions, it's really helpful to have outside perspectives on the issue...

 

[lisa13579]

I'm also curious why drexel would be the last choice. i personlly really liked drexel when i intereviewed. i got into wayne state (as an out of state resident ), but since i have no ties to the area, i don't think i want to live in detroit. i did get the feeling that wayne state is a really good school though. (i applied because my SO was applying for residency all over)

i don't know anything about albany, sorry. i feel your pain in deciding which school is best for you. i guess at this point you probably want to factor in location and where you would prefer to live.

 

[jhk43]

so it seems that wayne state is the (nearly) unanimous choice... for financial reasons? are there other reasons for which wayne state would be a superiour institution?

can anyone else share their experiences about wayne state? ... and about the quality of life in detroit? ... even being a native michigander, i feel that maybe i'm not giving detroit the benefit of the doubt... is it a livable city? what about the fact that all the students seem to live in the suburbs and commute everyday? anyone know if there is any truth to the rumour that wayne state is having serious financial difficulties?

also, i'm curious as to why drexel would be "by far the last"...

thanks again for all of your opinions, it's really helpful to have outside perspectives on the issue...

wayne offers a terrific clinical education.

 

[quideam]

Drexel is by far the last of the three that I think you should choose because...
- Super expensive relative to the other two
- Often used as "last resort" private school if you can't get into your state school
- Why would you pay big bucks to go to a school that's ranked around the same or lower than the others? Especially when your state school will be waaaay cheaper

 

[jedirampage]

Personally, I would choose Drexel. It gets a bad wrap (especially by those that are slaves to the "rankings") but they offer a quality, progressive medical education. Plus Philly is a great city to live in. In the end, go where you feel you'd fit in the most because the money (at the low interest reates you can get currently on your student loans) is not as significant as people make it out to be, which is not to say it shouldn't be considered at all.

 

[Laura JC]

I've really enjoyed being a student at Wayne. And a lot of us live in the suburbs around Detroit, such as Royal Oak, Livonia and Farmington Hills. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email or pm me.
Good luck in your decision.

[email protected]

 

[lisa13579]

Drexel is by far the last of the three that I think you should choose because...
- Super expensive relative to the other two
- Often used as "last resort" private school if you can't get into your state school
- Why would you pay big bucks to go to a school that's ranked around the same or lower than the others? Especially when your state school will be waaaay cheaper

omg i'm so sick of hearing about drexel being used as a last resort. i really don't think there is anything substantial to back this up. i can understand about the pricing difference, which is definiately a factor, but as far as quality of education, I don't think it's an issue.

 

[lisa13579]

they offer a quality, progressive medical education. Plus Philly is a great city to live in.

 

[jedirampage]

... I don't want to get too off topic from the OP's question, but I have found that a majority of those that say bad things about Drexel have not actually visited the school. Something to keep in mind when receiving advice.

 

[derf]

ignoring all financial variables, Wayne State produces outstanding respectable physicians. Also, in a dept where I do research at UCLA, I think there's 6 or 7 WSU med grads alone. awesome awesome rep, especially in the midwest. I wouldn't call Drex a safety/last resort school, but WSU reigns over the other two you mentioned. Ask any Mich Ann Arbor students and they'll tell you the same thing.

 

[mdforme]

Drexel is by far the last of the three that I think you should choose because...
- Super expensive relative to the other two
- Often used as "last resort" private school if you can't get into your state school
- Why would you pay big bucks to go to a school that's ranked around the same or lower than the others? Especially when your state school will be waaaay cheaper

I would say the same for Albany..........
40K for tuition

Also known as a "last resort" school, except of course for the "program" kids.

Albany is cold as hell and there are few good bars around.

Don't know much about the other two though. Just my experiences with Albany.

 

[exmike]

I dont think we should trivialize the cost of a medical education. A 100k+ additional debt load is significant if someone is going into family practice. One's career goals should definitely be part of the equation, and the added debt burden of a private institution doesnt seem worth it given that the other deciding factor here would be location.

 

[bokermmk]

I cant stand this crap where people bash Drexel and Finch and other 'lesser' (not my opinion) schools. If you think you are too good to go there, then dont go. The people there probably dont want your attidute there anyway. People that get into these schools are go there are accomplihed students. They shouldnt have to constantly hear how they and their school are inferior.

 

[quideam]

I cant stand this crap where people bash Drexel and Finch and other 'lesser' (not my opinion) schools. If you think you are too good to go there, then dont go. The people there probably dont want your attidute there anyway. People that get into these schools are go there are accomplihed students. They shouldnt have to constantly hear how they and their school are inferior.

This honestly isn't about egos - I didn't mean it that way, and I don't have anything personal against Drexel. However, I think that you would be hard pressed to find many students who went there for reasons other than:

- Couldn't get into any other US Allopathic schools
- Wanted to be in Philly/East Coast for some reason (family, preference, etc.)

I'm sure that there are students who got into a few schools and chose Drexel, but I doubt that they had solid state schools or "ranked" schools to choose from, and chose Drexel because they thought it was better. I'm sure they're out there - but I know it's not many.....

Again, nothing personal against Drexel - I personally think that their online lecture system is awesome

 

[Alexander99]

This honestly isn't about egos - I didn't mean it that way, and I don't have anything personal against Drexel. However, I think that you would be hard pressed to find many students who went there for reasons other than:

- Couldn't get into any other US Allopathic schools
- Wanted to be in Philly/East Coast for some reason (family, preference, etc.)

I'm sure that there are students who got into a few schools and chose Drexel, but I doubt that they had solid state schools or "ranked" schools to choose from, and chose Drexel because they thought it was better. I'm sure they're out there - but I know it's not many.....

Again, nothing personal against Drexel - I personally think that their online lecture system is awesome

I tried to make this very point a little while ago and I got several emotional comments along with the consensus that "every MD school in the United States is the best school." Of course, common sense indicates that every and best can't be combined but go figure.

Ironically, none of the students that were raving about how great Drexel was could make the claim that it was anywhere near their top choice.

 

[nibrocli]

definitely don't go to drexel
it should be your last resort
i hope you don't go there
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(b/c i'm hoping to get off their waitlist!)

 

[mimi1]

If you have the option of going to your state school, then you should. Saving a lot of money by going to a state school will be really important later on.

But I do think that all you Drexel-bashers need to get off your high horses because your snobbiness indicates great immaturity. As someone who is choosing Drexel over other schools, I think what is important is to go to the medical school that YOU want to go to. The school that YOU feel good at and fits YOUR learning style, interests etc. In the end, you're still going to get the same education and be able to accomplish your goals.

It makes me sad to see people pass such judgement about this sort of thing. It perpetuates the "superiority complex" that unfortunately exists in medicine.

 

[Tezzie]

I don't see any American schools as "bad". I chose to reply by saying only Wayne. If you fell in love with Drexel and have solid reasons to attend it then by all means do so. However Drexel is not going to open up any doors for you that Wayne won't.

Wayne State is a very good school. The cost of tuition is what solidifies the deal here. A few months ago a friend of mine interviewed (and was eventually accepted) at Wayne. He said the best things about it. It gets a bit over looked because of the other local juggernaut (aka UMich).

Either way i wish you the best of luck with your choice .

 

[lotanna]

Wayne all the way!!
My friends stay in the apts downtown, where many students stay. Its like 10mins drive to schl, and they all like the area they stay as many of them stay closeby, and it isnt far from schl.
Given teh cheaper tuition and great clinical facilities, I dont see why u'd choose the other 2 over Wayne.

 

[jedirampage]

I dont think we should trivialize the cost of a medical education. A 100k+ additional debt load is significant if someone is going into family practice. One's career goals should definitely be part of the equation, and the added debt burden of a private institution doesnt seem worth it given that the other deciding factor here would be location.

This is very true. My only point was not to let it be the defining factor in one's decision, unless there are other mitigating circumstances (like you already are 100k+ in debt due to home loans, etc).