Rowan SOM vs Hackensack Meridian

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.

JMSwaffles

Full Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
12
Reaction score
20
Hey Everyone,

I have been ready to go at Rowan SOM (DO) for a bit, but I just got the call from Hackensack Meridian (MD) yesterday, and I'm not really sure which one to pick.

A bit of background, I have been working at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for the last 2 years, and I was hoping to match there for residency in the future. I like Rowan because it is really close to the CHOP main hospital and satellite locations, so I can keep in contact with the doctors I've been working with, giving me a better chance to match there if I work hard.

At the same time, Hackensack Meridian is an MD program, and it can open a lot of doors that Rowan may not be able to. That being said, they are a new school, and they have not had a single match class yet, while Rowan SOM has a pretty good match list for it's most recent class (I'd say that it's pretty much on par with the Rowan Cooper MD program tbh)

Additionally there is the fact that I am an NJ resident, and only Rowan offers in-state tuition (Hackensack is a private school), so I would probably save around $20,000 a year at Rowan.

It seems crazy to turn down MD for DO, but Rowan seems like a really good program, and I'm a bit skeptical of Hackensack's lack of a track record

Any advice would be appreciated, I'm really torn!

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
MD > DO. Unless you are willing to have some doors closed to you, I would definitely choose Hackensack, no question. This is especially true if you are interested in anything remotely competitive or want a career in academics.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
  • Like
Reactions: 6 users
Hackensack.
The funny thing is, most MD's end up doing things that are totally open to DO's. I know that MD opens more doors, but it's just funny because the same people who say that often do end up right alongside DO's. I know the limitations I have going to DO school, I do, but that's always been funny to me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Hackensack.
The funny thing is, most MD's end up doing things that are totally open to DO's. I know that MD opens more doors, but it's just funny because the same people who say that often do end up right alongside DO's. I know the limitations I have going to DO school, I do, but that's always been funny to me.

I just looked at the Stanford family medicine program and it’s funny to see DOs who are co-resident with MDs from Stanford Mayo and WashU. Our Residents — Stanford - O'Connor Family Medicine Residency
 
I would go Hackensack, but I agree with mwsapphire's point. A lot of people act like if you go to an MD school everyone is going to end up going into neurosurgery, orthopedics, or dermatology. In reality, most end up going into primary care (IM, peds, FM, obgyn), EM, or Psych. Only a small fraction actually end up going into those upper echelon specialties. If you compare MD and DO match lists, more often than not there isn't a massive difference tbh. Obviously there are still advantages of picking MD over DO, but the advantage is definitely way overhyped among premeds.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 4 users
I would go Hackensack, but I agree with mwsapphire's point. A lot of people act like if you go to an MD school everyone is going to end up going into neurosurgery, orthopedics, or dermatology. In reality, most end up going into primary care (IM, peds, FM, obgyn), EM, or Psych. Only a small fraction actually end up going into those upper echelon specialties. If you compare MD and DO match lists, more often than not there isn't a massive difference tbh. Obviously there are still advantages of picking MD over DO, but the advantage is definitely way overhyped among premeds.
Sure, you can match pediatrics in general from both schools. But if OP wants to match at CHOP, that door is almost certainly closed to them as a DO.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top