Tulane Vs. Drexel... What do you think?

[Mantis32]

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I posted two similar threads a while ago and I need some help deciding so I will be as specific and concise as possible. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I was accepted into the 1 year Masters of Anatomy program at Tulane COM
as well as the 2 year MSP-MBS program at Drexel COM

Tulane seems to have the better reputation overall and I would be taking the M1 classes (Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience) right away, culminating in an MS after just one year.

Drexels program is geared more to boost the MCAT score the first year then take the M1 courses subsequently. However they would be taken online...which kind of bums me out.

My stats: 3.0 gpa.....26 MCAT.....Not stellar stuff here but otherwise I have great EC's, LOR's and experience working as a scribe in the ER for 2 years. I was waitlisted at a DO school this cycle and I have no problem going the DO route. I was accepted to SABA med school in the Caribbean but was not too confident about non US school without it being a last resort so I declined.

The overall cost is comparable, with Drexel being a bit more expensive as it is two years long.

So in summation: Do you think the boost of the MCAT score is worth the extra year and money? Or will doing well at Tulane be enough to get me a spot in a DO program at least? I am very excited at the prospect of studying at either of these highly touted schools but am equally as stuck between them.

 

[datteethdoe]

I got accepted into Tulane's Masters of Anatomy program as well and was wondering if you heard anything about the program?

 

[Mantis32]

Yeah I know a bunch about it as Im going crazy trying to decide which program to choose. I can try to answer your questions. What are you wondering?

 

[datteethdoe]

Thanks for your reply! I got into Tulane's Masters of Anatomy, EVMS Medical Masters, and USC's Global Medicine and I'm having a tough time deciding as I research on each program and school. I'm hoping to attend one of these programs and matriculate directly into dental school after. I'm curious as to what your pros and cons were with Tulane's program? Do you know if their graduates have been pretty successful (a high acceptance rate for professional schools)? To be honest, I felt a little uneasy when I saw this on their website "Although the current 2015 class has yet to graduate, 37% have already been invited to interview at medical school (even without a final graduate GPA) and 11% have been accepted to US and non-US medical schools." Also, have you heard how hard the courses were? I was looking through and because it's literally all anatomy courses, it seems very difficult. Is the program pretty highly regarded in that sense? As well as the fact that it's Tulane University? With that said, I wonder if it was pretty competitive and how many students were actually accepted.

 

[Mantis32]

Well I dont know much about the USC program but dosent EVMS have a direct linkage agreement? Tulane does not, which is something you might want to keep in mind. I wouldnt worry too much about those stats you saw, as I spoke with one of the students who is in the 2 year anatomy program and she wrote me, "Of the 19 1-year students, 9 chose to apply this round and 5 received acceptances. The other 4 all had interviews and were awaiting news last I heard. Further the other 10 chose to take this next year to apply, as they wanted to have their MS completed before applying." As far as the difficulty level, it is going to be very tough as youre graded on the same curve the medical students set. However, they will have a full M1 course load and we will only really need to worry about anatomy. Still I expect that this program will only really be useful if you can beat the average, therefore just getting by is not really an option. I hear the students are very cooperative rather than competitive here though, which is also a big plus. I dont know your individual stats or reasons for picking one program over another so I cannot tell you what to do but I feel that this is certainly an option to prove that you can handle the work at a great medical school.

 

[Coleworld]

Definitely go to drexel.

 

[Mantis32]

Definitely go to drexel.

What makes you say that?

 

[Coleworld]

What makes you say that?

It's a very strong program and offers guaranteed interviews to their med school. Tulane is more risky. Thinking back I wish I had applied to drexel.

 

[sazerac]

(Tulane masters of anatomy)As far as the difficulty level, it is going to be very tough as youre graded on the same curve the medical students set. However, they will have a full M1 course load and we will only really need to worry about anatomy.

You are playing with fire here.

In the past, Tulane med students took anatomy and biochem at the same time. While the med students had to take time to do biochem, the anatomy masters students could study anatomy some more.

But then Tulane med switched things around, and first taught only anatomy, and when that was done, only biochem. So the anatomy masters students had no advantage anymore, because the "full M1 course load" is only anatomy.

 

[datteethdoe]

Thanks for your reply Mantis32! Good luck with deciding on a program 🙂

 

[Mantis32]

You are playing with fire here.

In the past, Tulane med students took anatomy and biochem at the same time. While the med students had to take time to do biochem, the anatomy masters students could study anatomy some more.

But then Tulane med switched things around, and first taught only anatomy, and when that was done, only biochem. So the anatomy masters students had no advantage anymore, because the "full M1 course load" is only anatomy.

I wasnt aware of the curricular shift for them...thank you for the info!!!

 

[Research Nerd]

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