RWJMS vs. Geisinger Commonweatlh SOM vs. Temple (St. Lukes) vs. Hackensack Meridian

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Geisinger Commonwealth
Pros

• Accepted into Abigail Geisinger Scholar's Program so full tuition and stipend covered
• Geisinger system seems to be well liked and connected throughout NEPA
• Medium class size (115)
• Campus and medical school are very nice
• Low cost of living area
• Recorded lectures

Cons

• Farther away from family
• Match stats are not as good as other schools such as RWJMS
• Scholar's program limits to primary care of psychiatry with 4 year commitment to work for Geisinger after residency
• Not very familiar with Scranton and how the city/town is
• 1.5 preclinical, may get stressful?

RWJMS
Pros

• In-state tuition (45k per year)
• Close to home
• Same undergrad institution
• Match statistics are really good
• Students seem very happy and curriculum and test schedule is nice
• Recorded lectures

Cons

• Low chance of scholarships (don't know if they match other scholarship opportunities)
• Cost
• Won't be living at home, so living expenses also higher than average (NJ prices)
• Larger class size (195)

Temple St. Lukes
Pros

• Class size (~40)
• Experience seems very individualized and students have lots of access to mentors and opportunities in the St. Lukes system
• Bethlehem PA is very chill and has a nice college town feel to it
• Ability to do clinical rotations in the St. Lukes system but also can do some in Philly
• Recorded lectures

Cons

• Cost, have not received COA or financial aid package yet but once again, not sure of scholarships (47k per year)
• Recent match statistics show students matching more into primary care and the surrounding area.
• The small class size could also be a con
• Perhaps less opportunities in the St. Lukes system compared to Philly main campus
• Exams on mondays

Hackensack Meridian
Pros

• Close to home
• Possibility of 3 year program
• Affiliation with Hackensack Meridian which is a big well known name in NJ

Cons

• Cost, (more than 60k year), and not sure about financial aid or scholarships
• Seems that the accelerated curriculum can get stressful and overwhelming
• Mandatory lectures in the morning
• The campus is a bit small and doesn't seem very academic?

Overall, I think I'm gonna drop HMSOM first from this list. However Im not sure about the other three. I am interested in FM, IM, or psych, and I don't really see myself going into any surgical specialties. That can always change though!

Anyways, I'm wondering what some other people think, or if you have any experiences with these schools. Thanks a lot!

 

[DOcSto]

If you're committed to PC then GCSOM sounds like the best option.

 

[Dobermann]

If you’re sure about primary care, go to Geisinger. Free is hard to beat. If you are not committed to primary care, go to RWJ. It’s a good, established institution and in state tuition is awesome.

Hackensack and St. Luke’s are very new programs, which means there are probably a loot of kinks that still need to be worked out. I would definitely cross these two off your list and narrow it down to GCSOM vs. RWJMS.

 

[JohnJacobJingleheimer]

If you’re sure about primary care, go to Geisinger. Free is hard to beat. If you are not committed to primary care, go to RWJ. It’s a good, established institution and in state tuition is awesome.

Hackensack and St. Luke’s are very new programs, which means there are probably a loot of kinks that still need to be worked out. I would definitely cross these two off your list and narrow it down to GCSOM vs. RWJMS.

I second everything said here. You better be sure you want PC to commit to that Geisinger program. Likewise, you better be sure you are curious about fields outside of PC to pass on that full ride. Good luck!

 

[309kid]

I have heard that HMSOM is pretty generous with scholarships, I would imagine if you were able to earn a full ride at GCSOM then you probably are gonna get a lot of money at HMSOM. Are you truly bound to PC or psych at GCSOM or is it just frowned upon if you do something else? I would investigate whether or not you could still do a different residency and still get some of that money.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Not very familiar with Scranton and how the city/town is

I was in this town a few years ago. I definitely wouldn’t call it a city, at least anymore. Perhaps things have changed but there were a lot of vacant buildings, not much industry etc. there is a college (a few?) nearby and a train station that is now a hotel which is pretty cool. Despite possible flaws of the city, I would go to Geisinger unless you really don’t want primary care.