Temple VS Boston University

[jollybengali]

I'd love to hear some input for this as I'm having a hard time deciding between these two schools. I liked Philly better than Boston and could see myself being happier there. However, BU seemed like the better medical school overall, and I got a better impression from the faculty. Both schools have a MD/MPH program which I'd like to pursue, and my long term plan is to specialize in infectious disease (especially interested in HIV/AIDS) in an urban/underserved area. Both schools are expensive and I'm out of state for both, so cost is not a deciding factor.

Temple University

+Students seemed more laid back and happy from interview. Students are given a lot of free time which they can manage independently.
+Location is only an hour away from my parents who live in central NJ. I could easily drive to visit them on occasion.
+Philly is a cheap city to live in and keep a car. Also seemed like a more fun city to live in than Boston.
+Newer facilities in the medical school
+Excellent clinical training with an urban/underserved population

-the grading system for the first and second year students will be honors-pass-fail. The system for third and fourth year students remains honors-high pass-pass-fail.

Boston University

+Got a really good impression from the dean who made it clear that the school really cares about the students having a good med school experience
+Better reputation
+More opportunities for networking in Boston
+Pass/fail grading
+Excellent clinical training with an urban/underserved population. The public service mission seemed a little more emphasized at BU than Temple


-Boston is an expensive city to live in and keep a car

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[Geebeejay]

Really surprised you thought Boston was a less fun city than Philly. Having been to both, I would say the opposite, but to each his own. There are definitely a lot more valid options for things to do in Boston, especially at night. Of course, I do live in Boston and have only visited Philly (and I did have a lot of fun), so I may be biased.

Practically NOBODY keeps a car in Boston. Yes it is expensive, but is pretty much useless. The subway system gets you where you need to go almost as fast as driving (lotta traffic!), and there is minimal parking available in the city, and especially near BU med. I've also heard the same thing about Philly. You're correct that Boston is much more expensive to live in.

I agree the public service mission seemed more emphasized at BU, but that's like saying chocolate taste was more emphasized at Hershey than at Nestle. Both having VERY strong public service missions, and both were highly emphasized.

Both schools are awesome. I would happily attend both, and I don't think I can decide which is better. Thankfully I only got accepted to one of them (so far) so I don't have to choose 🙂

 

[darkjedi]

I have also lived in both cities, each for many years, having gone to undergrad in Boston and now in med school in Philadelphia.

I personally prefer Philadelphia over Boston, mainly because it does seem like a more 'fun' city. It is definitely significantly cheaper to live here than NYC or Boston, which I love. That said, Boston is still a fantastic, fun, and culturally rich city... just more expensive. Where Boston is more 'clean' and 'professional', Philadelphia is more 'grungy' and 'hipster'.

I would say keeping a car is inconvenient for both cities. It's probably less of a hassle to own one in Philadelphia, but still likely more of a hassle than not having a car.

BU will likely be considered a 'better' school, but the importance of that is variable depending on what you want to do.

 

[yellowfish]

Voted for BU. No P/F is a killer for me. Location is overrated, as long as you're in a safe place and you're with people that you like, you'll have a good time. You're a medical student, you're not going to be out on the town 4 nights a week, you're going to be working hard. People are what will make the experience for you more than anything else. If you're interested in MD/PhD, definitely look into specific research labs that you might work with. If you're unsure, that's another plus for BU as more extensive research opportunities will be open to you.

 

[darkjedi]

Voted for BU. No P/F is a killer for me. Location is overrated, as long as you're in a safe place and you're with people that you like, you'll have a good time. You're a medical student, you're not going to be out on the town 4 nights a week, you're going to be working hard. People are what will make the experience for you more than anything else. If you're interested in MD/PhD, definitely look into specific research labs that you might work with. If you're unsure, that's another plus for BU as more extensive research opportunities will be open to you.

KDizzle makes very excellent points. The P/F and H/P/F difference is something to consider heavily and BU will likely open more doors.

 

[redpanda]

Have you actually checked on car insurance rates if you garage your car in Philly? I haven't checked lately, but I come from around there, and everyone complains about how crazy high car insurance is in the city.

 

[jollybengali]

KDizzle makes very excellent points. The P/F and H/P/F difference is something to consider heavily and BU will likely open more doors.

does the ratio of Honors/Pass really make that big of a difference when being matched? does anyone know anybody who has been graded with a H/P/F system and felt really stressed out by it? if anything i could just see that motivating me to work harder and do better on step 1 and 2.

 

[yellowfish]

does the ratio of Honors/Pass really make that big of a difference when being matched? does anyone know anybody who has been graded with a H/P/F system and felt really stressed out by it? if anything i could just see that motivating me to work harder and do better on step 1 and 2.

You'll have to check with that particular school to see how much it is weighted versus clinical grades (in terms of qualification for AOA, etc.). Residencies will definitely weight preclinical grades much less, but regardless I wouldn't want that pressure on me if it isn't necessary. Don't mistake getting higher grades on tests in your preclinical classes with better preparation for the step or for clinical duties. You might be tested on nitpicky details that aren't solidifying your foundation as a clinician whatsoever - rather, diverting your time from what might be more important endeavors. Pass/fail will allow you to learn what you need to learn and will give you more flexibility in managing your time.

 

[jollybengali]

thanks for the feedback guys. i guess this comes down to which is more important to me....going to a better med school (BU), or being happier in a location closer to my family (Temple). still not totally sure yet, but those are the two main factors i am considering in the upcoming weeks.

 

[GoWiththeFlo]

You will probably be happy in both cities. I understand that auto insurance is very high in Boston because it leads major cities in car theft.

 

[jollybengali]

does anyone know the current rankings of the schools? is there going to be much of an effect on either school's ranking or reputation on my matching for residency?

 

[Goobs]

does anyone know the current rankings of the schools? is there going to be much of an effect on either school's ranking or reputation on my matching for residency?

Supposedly school rankings are largely irrelevant if they're not in the top 20. However, I do have the rankings so I might as well share! BU is 39/30 and Temple is unpublished/51 for primary care/research respectively. As a side note, BU was definitely near the top of my list before I started applying because I wanted to be in Boston 😛 I interviewed at Temple and was really impressed with their new building, although I was turned off about how much emphasis they put on having amazing flood lights and security to walk you to your car.

 

[JJMrK]

I'd use caution about using pre-clinical curriculum to choose a school. Location is probably much more important, followed by cost, followed by clinical training. Preclinical grades aren't looked at much for residency applications. Plus, having the H grade available to you will be helpful if you can get them in terms of AOA, etc. If not, no skin off your teeth: you'll end up with all passing grades, which is what you would get at a P/F school anyway.

 

[jollybengali]

I'd use caution about using pre-clinical curriculum to choose a school. Location is probably much more important, followed by cost, followed by clinical training. Preclinical grades aren't looked at much for residency applications. Plus, having the H grade available to you will be helpful if you can get them in terms of AOA, etc. If not, no skin off your teeth: you'll end up with all passing grades, which is what you would get at a P/F school anyway.

That's a good point. I'm not sure what you mean by getting grades "in terms of AOA, etc" though. Could you explain that please?

 

[JJMrK]

If your school is P/F, your transcript has all P's. If you have H/P/F, you can still get all P's; on the other hand, you might be able to throw a few H's on there if you work hard enough. If you decide to just chill and pass everything, no worries, you can do that in either system. However, if you are going for something competitive and are willing to put in the elbow grease, that's an option too. The H's will look good for things like AOA, intrachool awards, and most importantly, your residency application. This is especially true if we are talking about clinical grades. IMO P/F during the clinical years is a big disadvantage.

 

[Goobs]

If your school is P/F, your transcript has all P's. If you have H/P/F, you can still get all P's; on the other hand, you might be able to throw a few H's on there if you work hard enough. If you decide to just chill and pass everything, no worries, you can do that in either system. However, if you are going for something competitive and are willing to put in the elbow grease, that's an option too. The H's will look good for things like AOA, intrachool awards, and most importantly, your residency application. This is especially true if we are talking about clinical grades. IMO P/F during the clinical years is a big disadvantage.

I was under the impression that OP was only referring to pre-clinical grading choices. If AOA is all internal and not based off of your pre-clinical years and all else is equal, wouldn't pre-clinical P/F be slightly better?

 

[JJMrK]

I can't see why, TBH. Like I said, you can roll with all passing grades in either system, but if you have honors available you can shoot for that if you so choose. Or you can chill and if you happen to honor some stuff along the way, it certainly isn't going to hurt you.

 

[giants25]

If your interested in infectious disease BU for sure. They finally opened up the NIEDL center, a brand new infectious disease center funded largely by the federal government. I heard its amazing but that's only second hand through friends since they won't let you in the building without ID.

 

[Girly X]

thanks for the feedback guys. i guess this comes down to which is more important to me....going to a better med school (BU), or being happier in a location closer to my family (Temple). still not totally sure yet, but those are the two main factors i am considering in the upcoming weeks.

I have been faced with a similar choice: family or slightly better rankings. I'm going with family. Nothing beats that imo.

I can't see why, TBH. Like I said, you can roll with all passing grades in either system, but if you have honors available you can shoot for that if you so choose. Or you can chill and if you happen to honor some stuff along the way, it certainly isn't going to hurt you.

You make good points. I always wondered why the big fuss over H/HP/P/F systems. As far as I am concerned, you can choose to just Pass and not worry about the H/HP, so in a sense you work from P/F mindset if you choose .

 

[jollybengali]

i was initially leaning towards temple, but you guys have swayed my opinion and i am now leaning towards BU. thanks for all of your input! it seems like BU puts a lot of thought into ensuring they are providing the right fit for their students according to this article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/the-changing-face-of-medical-school-admissions/

if i move to boston i could sell my car and use the money to fund plane tickets to visit my family on the weekend once a month. it's only an hour plane ride from boston to newark, and i could study while on the plane.