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What would you choose.
theDr. said:What would you choose.
misyel said:I say go to NYCOM... I've read from your previous posts that NYCOM was your first choice. Figure out why it was your first choice then, and see if it still holds true until now. If it's just tuition you're concerned about, I don't think an additional 10K makes a big difference if you feel that one school might offer better opportunities for you in the future. However, I do wanna say that I don't know much about UMDNJ and so I can't really make any comparisons between the two schools.
I was in a similar situation as you a few months ago. I compared the location, total costs, clinicals, match lists, climate, the family support available to me at both schools, etc. and ranked everything according to importance. I, then, realized which one was better for me and where I would be most happy. Do what's best for you.
Which ever school you decide to go to, just make sure you kick ass and you'll be fine. 👍 Best of luck!
jopdo said:Just curious what your priorities were? Since I am deciding between UMDNJ and a potential allo school (WL) I am curious where you felt UMDNJ was lacking. As far as I can see, UMDNJ looks pretty good in person, from a financial perspective and on paper. Please let me know what you thought its short comings were... I would really appreciate it, and maybe the OP would get something out of it too... Thanks in advance!
theDr. said:Both schools are great. But if the costs of both schools were the same -- I would choose NYCOM. But then again, Id be saving $40,000 or a bit more. Thats a lot of money to think about. So what do you do?
PublicEnemy said:umdnj som is just a few minutes from my house and i have a lot of friends and interaction there. i think its a great school with excellent facilities. there is definitely a sense of community among students. some people have mentioned that NYCOM has a good matchlist, but i would actually say that umdnj's is comparable if not superior. you can't look at the strength of a matchlist simply by looking at the sheer number of optho, ortho, or derms because the sizes of the classes are so different, umdnj is 1/3 of the class size. even if every person in the class matched a top choice allo residency, somehow it would just look less, but if you look closely, a very good percentage of umdnj students do match in competitve allo and osteo residencies.
though i don't know anything about specifics, UMDNJ often brags about having lots of NIH funds and a larger emphasis on research as compared to other DO schools, i don't know how that impacts you, but you might want to check that out if research is important in your decision.
location, stratford/cherry hill is just minutes from philly which is very nice. south jersey itself isn't so bad. old westbury is more than 20miles from the city and it takes a long time. from umdnj's campus you can take the hi-speed line and be in philly in 20min for $2.45. so if city life is important to you, consider that too.
rotations, its true nycom does give you a chance to rotate through all of nyc. umdnj does provide excellent rotation opportunities as well.
hope this helps, congratulations and good luck with your decision.
mikeh27 said:Well, for me, the reasons are endless...but i will try to give you the most important reasons...first, umdnj has such a small class size...roughly 95 people enables an opportunity for faculty and staff to know not just your name but also personal information about you...I believe this will be extremely important when applying for residency since everyone I talk to says that recommendations during the clinical years are just as or maybe even more important than grades...if I can create strong relationships with members of the faculty for several years during medical school, then I believe this will be a vital factor when I apply for residency...Second, umdnj is directly affiliated with Kennedy Health System and Our Lady of Lourdes, and since I have lived in southern new jersey for all of my life and am very familiar with these hospitals, I know from personal experience that these hosptials provide various experiences in all kinds of medicine, not just primary care...Third, umdnj receives more research funding than any other osteopathic school in the nation...and if you are interested in research (which is bascially a requirement for any fellowship) then you will have no problem getting involved in a research project at umdnj...Fourth, umdnj provides patient contact for students in the first semester of the first year...thorugh a preceptorship program with a primary care physician, students spend time seeing patients in a doctor's office the very first semester...Fifth, umdnj facilitates a non competitive environment for it's students by having an absolute grading scale (which means no quota for number of A's, B's, C's, etc...you get what you get) and also through a big brother/big sister program in which a second year student will give the first year student all of his/her tests, notes, and advice for each class...Sixth, UMDNJ has an excellent graduate medical education with more residencies than any other medical school and they offer residences and fellowships in every area of medicine from primary care to radiology to vascular surgery to cardiology...And finally, every time I am there it is apparent the environment is one which promotes learning and making you the best possible physician...the dean of student affairs, Dr. Wallace and all of the other staff and facult seem to have a genuine concern for the success of each and every student...those are just the highlights...the list goes on and on...
pafbdoc said:One reason I would be a bit careful about UMDNJ is because the governor of NJ, Jim McGreevey, is looking to totally reorganize the UMDNJ system along with Rutgers I think to model it after the Univ of California System. While the plan has seemingly stalled, it is still on the drawing board. My dad is semi-involved in jersey politics and told me that while the eventual system may be better in the long run, the short term is going to see alot of changes, and who wants to be a guinea pig? Anyway, this is one reason I turned down my acceptance to UMDNJ. Maybe the current UMDNJers can shed some light on this. I know the idea has been toyed with for a few years now, and I think UMDNJ lost some faculty over it in 2002, but any current developments/rumors?