Rutgers (NJMS) vs Quinnipiac (Netter)

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FLORIDA07

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Hello everyone! I am having trouble deciding between NJMS and Netter. In the future, I want to live in the northeast and pursue a primary care specialty most likely. Thank you for your help!


Rutgers (NJMS) (Tuition 43k per year)

Pros:
  • More well-known (first medical school in NJ)
  • Home residency programs in almost every specialty
  • University hospital is a level 1 one trauma center
  • Proximity to NYC

Cons:
  • Newark is not as safe of a city
  • Not pass/fail for first two years
  • No structured clinical experience before M3
  • More expensive cost of living


Quinnipiac (Netter) (Tuition 15k per year w/ scholarship)

Pros:
  • True Pass/fail (pre-clinical years)
  • MeSH Program (weekly clinical experience w/ physician in the community during M1 and M2)
  • Small class size (~90)
  • Lots of parks nearby (I run and hike a lot)
  • Support system in Boston (2 hr car/train ride)
  • Professors are hired as dedicated teaching faculty
  • Facilities are new

Cons:
  • No University hospital
  • Less research at the school itself
  • Newer medical school (less well-known/prestige?)
  • Lots of driving for clinical rotations
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FLORIDA07 said:
Yes I applied for one! What are your thoughts between the two?
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If I were in your shoes i'd go for netter for P/F and lower costs if you got the other scholarship as well.

EDIT: I would clarify that I would only go if the price of attendance was super cheap for frank. Wait until fin aid package, if there isn't a considerable difference in COA then Rutgers would be the better choice.
 
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Thank you! I am not sure how much to take into account it being P/F. It makes a big difference it seems like
 
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Am a current NJMS student so I figured I could help out with that perspective:
I want to live in the northeast
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NJMS matches very well into northeast, you can take a look at their previous match lists to see this
Newark is not as safe of a city
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This is not as much of an issue anymore, but really based on stereotypes (in my opinion.) The area around the school is safe, they have private police for the school if you feel uncomfortable walking anywhere alone. Most (probably 75% of M1s) live on campus, so their commute isn't walking through the city or taking a bus, but just walking across the courtyard to the classrooms or the hospital. But again, it's a fine city if you want to live somewhere else. I don't live on campus and walk to school a decent amount of the time, and Newark has a somewhat nice Downtown area that is starting to grow even more!
Not pass/fail for first two years
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This is true. You are graded, but grades are not reported on MSPE (Dean's letter). All that is reported is your class ranking, which, if you ask the administration, is a good thing. Who knows if this is actually true, but they say that they consulted the program directors of residency at NJMS and they said that they recommended this.
No structured clinical experience before M3
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There's a community preceptorship program that has you spend some time during M1/M2 with a primary care physician in the area. While not structured, there's also a decent amount of community based volunteering, including a student clinic. Also M3 rotations start moderately early, beginning of May, so not like you're missing out on much.

PM if you have any other questions, good luck with your decision!
 
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Mre1123 said:
Am a current NJMS student so I figured I could help out with that perspective:

NJMS matches very well into northeast, you can take a look at their previous match lists to see this

This is not as much of an issue anymore, but really based on stereotypes (in my opinion.) The area around the school is safe, they have private police for the school if you feel uncomfortable walking anywhere alone. Most (probably 75% of M1s) live on campus, so their commute isn't walking through the city or taking a bus, but just walking across the courtyard to the classrooms or the hospital. But again, it's a fine city if you want to live somewhere else. I don't live on campus and walk to school a decent amount of the time, and Newark has a somewhat nice Downtown area that is starting to grow even more!

This is true. You are graded, but grades are not reported on MSPE (Dean's letter). All that is reported is your class ranking, which, if you ask the administration, is a good thing. Who knows if this is actually true, but they say that they consulted the program directors of residency at NJMS and they said that they recommended this.

There's a community preceptorship program that has you spend some time during M1/M2 with a primary care physician in the area. While not structured, there's also a decent amount of community based volunteering, including a student clinic. Also M3 rotations start moderately early, beginning of May, so not like you're missing out on much.

PM if you have any other questions, good luck with your decision!
Click to expand...
Wow, thank you! I will PM you a couple of questions soon.
 
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EvilElmo said:
If I were in your shoes i'd go for netter for P/F and lower costs if you got the other scholarship as well.

EDIT: I would clarify that I would only go if the price of attendance was super cheap for frank. Wait until fin aid package, if there isn't a considerable difference in COA then Rutgers would be the better choice.
Click to expand...
Hello! Just saw this edit, why would you say Rutgers?
 
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Mre1123 said:
This is true. You are graded, but grades are not reported on MSPE (Dean's letter). All that is reported is your class ranking, which, if you ask the administration, is a good thing. Who knows if this is actually true, but they say that they consulted the program directors of residency at NJMS and they said that they recommended this.
Click to expand...
This is very helpful, do all residencies where you apply see your class rank ? Does the school feel more competitive as a result?
 
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snapster said:
This is very helpful, do all residencies where you apply see your class rank ? Does the school feel more competitive as a result?
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Yes, all of them will see this, it is reported on your Dean's Letter which is sent out as part of your application. Within the class, it does not feel more competitive. Some people were worried at first but it's not an issue. The people who were going to be ****ty or be gunners or whatever you want to call it are going to do that no matter what. They exist at every school, and they're a small minority of the people. Even with the ranked system, there is a ton of collaboration, with students sharing study materials, working together, etc.
 
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I am also considering Netter in my school choices. I have similar pros and cons. Looking at the 2022 match-list for Netter, they are matching into amazing locations. I believe this is a school that despite being relatively new, is only getting better. Especially with the fact that they are very student-centered and the faculty seem to really care for their students. Thinking about name recognition and the establishment is something that is on my mind as well. But I would also reflect on whether you see yourself at Rutgers for four years? Do you like Newark? I definitely think it is not a nice place to live in (sorry Newark peeps lol). Location and stuff like that aside, I would go where you feel that you will thrive, and sometimes the best place to thrive may not always be the most prestigious. Just some things to keep in mind when making decisions. Hope that helps a bit.
 
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delicious_guineapig said:
I am also considering Netter in my school choices. I have similar pros and cons. Looking at the 2022 match-list for Netter, they are matching into amazing locations. I believe this is a school that despite being relatively new, is only getting better. Especially with the fact that they are very student-centered and the faculty seem to really care for their students. Thinking about name recognition and the establishment is something that is on my mind as well. But I would also reflect on whether you see yourself at Rutgers for four years? Do you like Newark? I definitely think it is not a nice place to live in (sorry Newark peeps lol). Location and stuff like that aside, I would go where you feel that you will thrive, and sometimes the best place to thrive may not always be the most prestigious. Just some things to keep in mind when making decisions. Hope that helps a bit.
Click to expand...
Thank you this advice! I ended up deciding on netter after going to the second look and for similar factors you talked about
 
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I think it comes to how much work you are willing to put and how well you think that you will be able to do at NJMS.

I feel that being in the bottom half of any school that reports rankings (aside from T20 powerhouses) will be a net negative on residency applications. With that being said, if you can get into the top quarter, it is an extreme positive imo.

In others words, if you finish in the bottom half at NJMS, your options will be the same as if you went to Quinnipiac cet. par.

However, if you finish in the top quarter at NJMS, you will have more options

Step 1 pass fail is actually a net negative for students in the bottom half at mid tier schools that rank. Before these students could show using boards that they had high aptitude despite being in the bottom half
 
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voxveritatisetlucis said:
I think it comes to how much work you are willing to put and how well you think that you will be able to do at NJMS.

I feel that being in the bottom half of any school that reports rankings (aside from T20 powerhouses) will be a net negative on residency applications. With that being said, if you can get into the top quarter, it is an extreme positive imo.

In others words, if you finish in the bottom half at NJMS, your options will be the same as if you went to Quinnipiac cet. par.

However, if you finish in the top quarter at NJMS, you will have more options
Click to expand...
That’s a good point! After talking to current med students about stress with True pass/fail vs graded and an additional scholarship from netter it solidified my decision.
 
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