penn state vs buffalo

[jackie3333]

I recently got off the waitlist for Penn state but have accepted my offer to Buffalo as well.

My biggest concern is the type of environment each school is in. I definitely value a good education but also things around me that help me maintain a good work-life balance.

There are more options for workout classes + yoga in buffalo in addition to a close proximity to grocery stores, public transit and a big city like Toronto fairly close by. Meanwhile it seems like there’s nothing close to Penn state

I know Penn state is more prestigious but I am hoping to go for internal medicine and match at a residency program in NYC + eventually do heme onc

I don't know which one would be better/if I'm not being smart by giving up Penn state. Besides the relative prestige of the school I’m finding myself fixated on Buffalo (i also think i have a bit of bias since I didn’t visit Penn state vs I visited Buffalo for my interview)

A med school is a med school at the end of the day and I have amazing opportunities anywhere I go but I'm quite conflicted.

I'm also still waiting on financial aid packages but I'm in state for buffalo! (I'm imagining that would be cheaper?)

Are there any other program pros/cons I’m not thinking of?

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[Dral]

If you are undecided, look into cost of attendance a bit more. If there is a sizable difference, that should really help in your decision making process.

Penn State is right outside of Harrisburg. Harrisburg is not the best small city, but it's not awful and there are things to do. Also, Hershey itself is a quaint downtown sort of place. Also, you'd not be far from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

More would be closer in Buffalo for sure. If you're going for IM, it really is likely a toss up. Can you make it to Hershey for a visit? It doesn't even have to be an official thing. Just go on your own to look around.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Whichever is cheaper to attend - including cost of living on top of tuition.

 

[Med Ed]

I know Penn state is more prestigious

It is?

If Buffalo is cheaper then go there. Roswell Park is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[AstroSidekick]

Hey, I got accepted to both last year with scholarship and ultimately choose PSCOM.

Hershey is the same distance to Philly as Buffalo is to Toronto (with PSCOM having the added bonus of NYC and DC being an extra hour away), so I wouldn’t use that as a factor.

Hershey has plenty of grocery stores and our fitness center is on campus and free. Several classmates even get paid to teach classes and lead workout for others. Unfortunately, Hershey doesn’t have great public transportation if you wanted to go somewhere local in central PA. We do have several Amtrak stop, which is popular for weekends trip. Plenty of student who live on campus don’t have cars, so you wouldn’t be the only one if you don’t have a car.

Lectures are great and work-life balance will be difficult regardless of where you go. However, there is a lot of support among the student. Groups of people make weekly study guides and put them into the class drive and another group does PBL cases. There are even anatomy Anki cards from upperclassmen and some lecture Anki cards you could use.

I would definitely argue that Hershey Medical Center is more prestigious (of course I’m bias) because of our cancer center and our surgery departments. For example, I believe we are the only place in the country that has every fellowship for ENT, large ortho resident cohorts, and surgeons here literally have procedures named after them. We consistently send students to top residency programs in competitive specialties. Our match list and history of excellence is absolutely what ultimately sold me to pick PSCOM over Buffalo. (Side note: I know 2 other kids here who also picked PSCOM over their Buffalo acceptance.)

For IM, you are basically guaranteed a match here if you want it. Plus, the vast majority of our lectures are from IM so you can easily build connections to which ever fellowship post IM residency you want. There are several heme onc doctors that are very involved in our curriculum so you will definitely see their influences in our content during HDHR. With the 3 year IM program (not super competitive from my understanding), you can also graduate med school and become a heme onc sooner.

Give Penn State an in person visit or go to one of the info sessions. I found them helpful last year and I’m sure you will too. PM me if you have more questions!

 

[Med Ed]

GME programs:
Buffalo - 71 sponsored
Penn State - 73 sponsored

2023 NIH awards:
Buffalo - $87.7 million (Roswell Park got another $42.2 million)
Penn State Hershey Med Center - $71.0 million

The main campus of PSU has another $81 million in awards.

If I were interested in heme/onc, I would personally be attracted to a school with an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.

 

[jackie3333]

If you are undecided, look into cost of attendance a bit more. If there is a sizable difference, that should really help in your decision making process.

Penn State is right outside of Harrisburg. Harrisburg is not the best small city, but it's not awful and there are things to do. Also, Hershey itself is a quaint downtown sort of place. Also, you'd not be far from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

More would be closer in Buffalo for sure. If you're going for IM, it really is likely a toss up. Can you make it to Hershey for a visit? It doesn't even have to be an official thing. Just go on your own to look around.

Yeah I definitely think COA and visiting Penn state will give me a better idea, thank you!

 

[jackie3333]

It is?

If Buffalo is cheaper then go there. Roswell Park is nothing to sneeze at.

Yeah I was definitely impressed by the cancer center + opportunities, I know Penn state has a cancer center but it’s definitely not as impressive as Roswell

 

[jackie3333]

Hey, I got accepted to both last year with scholarship and ultimately choose PSCOM.

Hershey is the same distance to Philly as Buffalo is to Toronto (with PSCOM having the added bonus of NYC and DC being an extra hour away), so I wouldn’t use that as a factor.

Hershey has plenty of grocery stores and our fitness center is on campus and free. Several classmates even get paid to teach classes and lead workout for others. Unfortunately, Hershey doesn’t have great public transportation if you wanted to go somewhere local in central PA. We do have several Amtrak stop, which is popular for weekends trip. Plenty of student who live on campus don’t have cars, so you wouldn’t be the only one if you don’t have a car.

Lectures are great and work-life balance will be difficult regardless of where you go. However, there is a lot of support among the student. Groups of people make weekly study guides and put them into the class drive and another group does PBL cases. There are even anatomy Anki cards from upperclassmen and some lecture Anki cards you could use.

I would definitely argue that Hershey Medical Center is more prestigious (of course I’m bias) because of our cancer center and our surgery departments. For example, I believe we are the only place in the country that has every fellowship for ENT, large ortho resident cohorts, and surgeons here literally have procedures named after them. We consistently send students to top residency programs in competitive specialties. Our match list and history of excellence is absolutely what ultimately sold me to pick PSCOM over Buffalo. (Side note: I know 2 other kids here who also picked PSCOM over their Buffalo acceptance.)

For IM, you are basically guaranteed a match here if you want it. Plus, the vast majority of our lectures are from IM so you can easily build connections to which ever fellowship post IM residency you want. There are several heme onc doctors that are very involved in our curriculum so you will definitely see their influences in our content during HDHR. With the 3 year IM program (not super competitive from my understanding), you can also graduate med school and become a heme onc sooner.

Give Penn State an in person visit or go to one of the info sessions. I found them helpful last year and I’m sure you will too. PM me if you have more questions!

This really helps a lot! I PMed you with more questions, thank you so much!

 

[jackie3333]

GME programs:
Buffalo - 71 sponsored
Penn State - 73 sponsored

2023 NIH awards:
Buffalo - $87.7 million (Roswell Park got another $42.2 million)
Penn State Hershey Med Center - $71.0 million

The main campus of PSU has another $81 million in awards.

If I were interested in heme/onc, I would personally be attracted to a school with an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.

Thank you!!! I didn’t know this

 

[gobills123]

I recently got off the waitlist for Penn state but have accepted my offer to Buffalo as well.

My biggest concern is the type of environment each school is in. I definitely value a good education but also things around me that help me maintain a good work-life balance.

There are more options for workout classes + yoga in buffalo in addition to a close proximity to grocery stores, public transit and a big city like Toronto fairly close by. Meanwhile it seems like there’s nothing close to Penn state

I know Penn state is more prestigious but I am hoping to go for internal medicine and match at a residency program in NYC + eventually do heme onc

I don't know which one would be better/if I'm not being smart by giving up Penn state. Besides the relative prestige of the school I’m finding myself fixated on Buffalo (i also think i have a bit of bias since I didn’t visit Penn state vs I visited Buffalo for my interview)

A med school is a med school at the end of the day and I have amazing opportunities anywhere I go but I'm quite conflicted.

I'm also still waiting on financial aid packages but I'm in state for buffalo! (I'm imagining that would be cheaper?)

Are there any other program pros/cons I’m not thinking of?

How is Penn state more prestigious? Like what are you using to determine that? It’s not ranked on US News which is what most people use when saying T20 etc

 

[AstroSidekick]

How is Penn state more prestigious? Like what are you using to determine that? It’s not ranked on US News which is what most people use when saying T20 etc

Penn State actively has choose not to be ranked for like 15-20 years

 

[gobills123]

Penn State actively has choose not to be ranked for like 15-20 years

That’s what I mean, so how do you compare if it’s not ranked. Like what makes it more prestigious? I’m not sure how it works, so I’m asking out of curiosity

 

[AstroSidekick]

That’s what I mean, so how do you compare if it’s not ranked. Like what makes it more prestigious? I’m not sure how it works, so I’m asking out of curiosity

Valid question. You can look at the match list, where faculty are from (i.e., where they did their training), funding, research opportunities, and Doximity if you are confident you want to do a certain specialty. This list is in order from most to least accurate methods I would personally compare two schools. Other people might look at other factors or give different weights to the ones I give.

Match lists are subjective based on where the applicant wants to go for residency and do in residency ideally. For example, matches on the West Coast catch my eye more than the ones in NYC do. Likewise for surgery opportunities as opposed to medicine ones. I won't compare the two, but PSCOM has multiple people in IM who go to Yale, Hopkins, and other top IM programs (Match List - Match Day). A few went to NYC programs as well, but I'm sure the ones who went to top programs could have ended up in NYC if they wanted to. I don't see similar matches in Buffalo's list (Match Day). Penn State and Buffalo have about equally ranked IM residency programs, but Buffalo's is larger which is something to consider.

Comparing faculty depends on who you would want to connect with and again, what you are hoping to get out of the connection. I like research and there is more than I could ever imagine here. Plus, the unique patient demographic here allows for interesting learning moments and research on health inequalities (Amish communities, Appalachian communities, etc...).

According to BRIMR (Home | Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research), which looks at federal funding for each medical school, PSCOM received 71 million in 2022 with Buffalo getting about 42 million the same year. Of course, hospitals might have their own funding outside of their med school which could change numbers quite a bit. Research opportunities depend on what you want to do, but PSCOM does have a research requirement to graduate, which only helps students.

At the end of the day, OP should go where they feel most comfortable and know they could succeed.

 

[Med Ed]

According to BRIMR (Home | Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research), which looks at federal funding for each medical school, PSCOM received 71 million in 2022 with Buffalo getting about 42 million the same year.

I posted more recent NIH award numbers above, directly from the source.