Temple Vs. Penn State

[bk9iq]

Hello,
I got accepted at Temple medical school and just received an ii from Penn State. Here are my questions
1- which one do you think is better in primary care?
2- in research?
3- How does Hershey compare to Philadelphia?
4- Which one has better Financial aid?
5- Which one has better curriculum (in your opinion)?

Thanks

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[bk9iq]

Any help please

 

[sinombre]

I'm assuming you're in-state. If I were you I would probably pick Penn State. It's cheaper (around 15k-ish/year), and I'd rather live in a suburban area than north Philly.

 

[bk9iq]

I'm assuming you're in-state. If I were you I would probably pick Penn State. It's cheaper (around 15k-ish/year), and I'd rather live in a suburban area than north Philly.

Thanks for the answer but why do you say it is 15k-ish per year? The website says 42k-ish!!
http://tuition.psu.edu/tuitiondynamic/rates.aspx?location=up

 

[Doctor Strange]

I'm assuming you're in-state. If I were you I would probably pick Penn State. It's cheaper (around 15k-ish/year), and I'd rather live in a suburban area than north Philly.

You are severely misinformed.

 

[sinombre]

You guys are misinterpreting what I wrote. The estimated difference in total cost for in-state students per year is $16,575 (per MSAR). That's more than $66,000 over the course of four years.

 

[redpanda]

Looking at the tuition rates, it's interesting to see how they changed in the two years since I was in the application process. I would've assumed that the change in tuition between in-state and OOS would've been the same as at Pitt (near elimination of IS-OOS tuition disparity since state funding to the medical school was eliminated), but it looks like PSU significantly raised tuition on OOS with some protection of IS rates.

 

[penguinism]

I would pick Temple over PSU, but that's just me. I would much rather live in Philadelphia than Hershey.
Temple also gives out decent merit scholarships in the spring. The full-price tuition difference between the two isn't substantial (PA residency is not very helpful with medical school admissions/tuition).

 

[deleted454156]

Assuming price differences are negligible (if IS, you're looking at 40k at PSU vs 44K at Temple): I think this is one of those situations where it mostly comes down to your personal goals and preferences.

1) Are you looking to go into primary care, or do you want to leave the door wide open for other specialties? I know PSU is very primary care oriented, while Temple grads go off into a lot of different specialties. There is also more research opportunity at Temple, which helps with more competitive specialties, as well as a stronger reputation. I spoke to a resident at a top 20 school who told me that their coordinator loves Temple grads- just something to keep in mind.

2) Hershey and Philadelphia are probably polar opposites as far as living environment. Do you like a living in a calmer quieter area? Or do you like the hustle and bustle of a big city? Temple is in North Philly, which is a very impoverished area, but most students live in Downtown Philly which is very nice, or even a suburb and commute to Temple by car.

 

[sinombre]

Assuming price differences are negligible (if IS, you're looking at 40k at PSU vs 44K at Temple): I think this is one of those situations where it mostly comes down to your personal goals and preferences.

The tuition costs are similar, but the additional costs are about $13,000 a year more at Temple according to the MSAR (cost of living, insurance, etc.). I'm not sure how accurate the MSAR financial data is, but it's obviously worth looking into considering the total difference is $16,575 if the MSAR is correct.

 

[penguinism]

The tuition costs are similar, but the additional costs are about $13,000 a year more at Temple according to the MSAR (cost of living, insurance, etc.). I'm not sure how accurate the MSAR financial data is, but it's obviously worth looking into considering the total difference is $16,575 if the MSAR is correct.

Don't put too much stock on the COA listed on a school's website or in the MSAR. My school lists a COA that's about $10k higher than I will actually spend this year. Sometimes this is done on purpose so that students have more leeway with loans.

Also, there is a large range of rental prices for apartments in Philadelphia. Temple's COA might be estimating that you're going to live in a high rise in Center City, whereas you might choose to get a cheaper place out in Manayunk.

 

[sinombre]

Don't put too much stock on the COA listed on a school's website or in the MSAR. My school lists a COA that's about $10k higher than I will actually spend this year. Sometimes this is done on purpose so that students have more leeway with loans.

Also, there is a large range of rental prices for apartments in Philadelphia. Temple's COA might be estimating that you're going to live in a high rise in Center City, whereas you might choose to get a cheaper place out in Manayunk.

Thanks! This is actually really useful information.

 

[bk9iq]

I recently got accepted at both schools. I am really having hard time deciding.

Temple Pros for me:
1- Closer to family and where I live right now.
2- I am used to the area since I graduated from Temple.
3- The medical school looks great and new.

Temple Cons for me:
1- Possible distractions due to closeness to family
2- I am accepted at Crozer Chester for the third and fourth years (We will be the first to ever try that since Temple has just added Corzer Chester to the clinical campuses and the first class graduating will be our class (2017)). But this hospital is 10 minutes drive from my house.
3- The medical school is about 1 hour away from where I live if I take public transportation (I do)

Penn State Pros for me:
1- Live on campus or close to campus which can be better to focus
2- The medical campus is amazing. I loved it during the interview.

Penn State Cons for me:
1- It is in Hershey (Rural). I am not used to living in rural areas.
2- It is far from family. I have to visit the family at least once every three weeks which will waste my time due to travel.
3- I will not know where I will do my rotations since it is more of a lottery system which is annoying since I will not know until I matriculate.


Need your input guys. Thanks

 

[nBeeDee]

I recently got accepted at both schools. I am really having hard time deciding.

Temple Pros for me:
1- Closer to family and where I live right now.
2- I am used to the area since I graduated from Temple.
3- The medical school looks great and new.

Temple Cons for me:
1- Possible distractions due to closeness to family
2- I am accepted at Crozer Chester for the third and fourth years (We will be the first to ever try that since Temple has just added Corzer Chester to the clinical campuses and the first class graduating will be our class (2017)). But this hospital is 10 minutes drive from my house.
3- The medical school is about 1 hour away from where I live if I take public transportation (I do)

Penn State Pros for me:
1- Live on campus or close to campus which can be better to focus
2- The medical campus is amazing. I loved it during the interview.

Penn State Cons for me:
1- It is in Hershey (Rural). I am not used to living in rural areas.
2- It is far from family. I have to visit the family at least once every three weeks which will waste my time due to travel.
3- I will not know where I will do my rotations since it is more of a lottery system which is annoying since I will not know until I matriculate.


Need your input guys. Thanks

How is it a con for being both far from family and close to your family? Do you not favor it one way or the other? Also its not like Penn State is across the country, its probably less than a 2 hour commute to your family.

Also if you choose Temple, that commute to the med school would be awful. Have you thought about living closer to campus or commuting by car? I know that the area surrounding the med school would not be the best place to live, but you could live somewhere nicer in Philly with a short commute. It would be worth the rent money if I was in your situation, then you could live home for years 3-4 to save money.

I'm guessing finances aren't a huge factor because the schools have similar IS and OOS tuition rates, but has either one offered you any benjamins? I'd probably go with to the cheaper one. The cost of living in Hershey is probably much less than Philly too.