Which one to choose?

[ashasnarf]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Out of these med schools which one would you go to and why? ( Albany, Temple, EVMS, MCPH) Please tell me the pros and cons of each school if you can, and what you thought about the interviews there? I have been accepted at all of them and would like to narrow down my options, as I feel we are approaching the end of the interview process. I know that there are still several months left, however, the schools that I have not heard from have had my completed application for 3-4 months. I figure that if they don't want to interview me by now than, I am most likely have been rejected. I just don't understand why schools drag out the process when they are not interested in you. I would think the courteous thing to do is send people rejections quickly so that we ( both applicants and schools) could get on with our business and decide where we want to go next. Thanks!!

 

[A. Caveman]

can you believe this guy???

 

[imtiaz]

What's so hard to beleive? Stop hatin'

 

[A. Caveman]

what i can't believe is that this grown man (or woman) has impressed the right people at those schools, but cannot figure out which one to attend without asking people on this thread. i've had a problem with all threads that ask this type of question. people can bet money that when i get into multiple schools (or if) that I won't be asking for help on a website..no matter how well informed people here are..at that point, i think i'd have collected enough info on my own to make the decision..it is after all my decision, and people's opinions will affect it a little. besides, it tends to bother people that haven't gotten in anywhere.

but my point isn't that nobody should post because they're inevitably gonna annoy someone, that would be a ridiculous request...my point is that this grown man (or woman) should be able to make this decision on his own.

ps. i don't hate the game, i hate the playas

pps. pele's post below is a clear example of what i'm talking about. i think we can all agree that this is a Stupid question with a capital S. it's almost as dumb as the threads were people ask silly mcat questions, and people just end up posting "do a search, this has been discussed many times." (almost as stupid)

 

[Ronaldinho]

I would go to temple/MCP for a big city feel and great clinical sites and Albany for a small city feel and cheap housing...i guess you should be able to decide since you visited them right?...i'm sure you're an intelligent person able to choose where to spend 4 years of your life...best wishes!

 

[vixen]

I kind of agree w/you caveman...

At this point (6 months past the application process), people should know more about the schools...I mean, they DID apply to them...

I wouldn't have a problem w/this question if it was more specific like "I heard such and such about this school and was wondering if someone could give me some feedback about it"... or if they had a hard time deciding btwn a couple of schools...this question sounds like...Ok, I got in X places, I don't know much about X schools, so you guys tell me what to do...

YOU are going to school there...why don't you do some more research about them and THEN ask some specific questions. 😎

 

[A. Caveman]

exactly simseema...this question is more about letting us know where he's been accepted and showing off than really needing information from us. this guy's self-esteem might be so low, he doesn't even consciously realize he's trying to raise it.

PS. i am a mile away and i stole this fella's shoes AND best shirts....

 

[imtiaz]

What if those schools aren't his or her top choice school at all? They mentioned that they are waiting to hear back from some other schools. Last year I applied to a lot of schools that I didn't know CRAP about, I just wanted to maximize my chances of going somewhere (to no avail 🙁 ) Anyway, you never know where they're coming from, it seems harsh to say right away that they're trying to show off. Besides, there's people who have posted acceptances to 10 or more schools but I don't see anyone attacking their egos. I think you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today Caveman.

 

[serpiente]

"Last year I applied to a lot of schools that I didn't know CRAP about"

If she has been accepted to a school, then she must have interviewed there. How can you know crap about a school after interviewing, sitting through orientation, financial aid presentations, lunching with students and the like? I interviewed at one of the schools asha mentioned. While granted I didn't know much about it when I applied, I learned something on interview day.

 

[Jalby]

I can understand asking for help between two different schools. Say Albany and EVMS. For example, I like XXXX school better, but XXX school costs 50K less. Could someone give me some pros and cons to help me decide? But 4 different schools is a bit much. Surely you can eliminate one or two of the schools.

 

[vixen]

Like serpiente said...you sat through all that crap about the schools, surely you must know something about them that would help you narrow your choices. Did you post on the allopathic board for anyone who goes to those schools? If I remember correctly, someone name nitrogirl goes to Albany...

 

[WSUreds]

A. Caveman,

First of all, you need to stop criticizing people and maybe look at yourself. This person is not trying to show off or show anyone up. He is looking for advice from people who are in the same situation as him and could give some input to him. Maybe shouldn't be bitter towards others because of your situation.

 

[ashasnarf]

I am sorry if I have offended anyone including A. Caveman. I am not trying to show off, I posted these questions because I wanted to know if any of you had any unique insights about these schools that I might not have learned from my time at the schools. What I know about these schools in large part comes from what the school showed us and from the students that I encountered. Although I wanted to spend more time and those schools to get a better appreciation of what they had to offer, I did not have this opportunity. I have been out of college for 6 years and before I applied I was praying to get into one. My grades and MCAT are not that goog at all, but these schools looked past that and focused on what I had to offer them now. A. Caveman I don't know your full story but I hope with all sincerity that you as well as everyone on this site get into medical school. I wanted a response to my question so that 1.) I might learn something about these schools I didn't know, and 2.) to confirm the feelings/impressions I formed while interviewing at these schools. I would like very much to hear from everyone what they think about these schools and why!! Thanks!!

 

[saffron]

yeah, i agree...caveman wakes up on the wrong side of the bed EVERY DAY...dude, just chill...it's ok, im sure everything will work out for you too, just don't be so resentful of everyone else...

ashasnarf- yeah, it would of been better if you gave us 2 schools instead of 4 <img src="graemlins/wowie.gif" border="0" alt="[Wowie]" /> but i understand where you're coming from...after a while, all the schools kind of seem like a blur...unfortunately, i haven't been to any of the schools you asked about, so sorry i can't be of more help. but, i do have a suggestion for you...try making a list of all the imp. aspects of each school (curriculum, tuition, location, pass/fail vs. grades, impression of students, proximity to home- if that's imp. to you, etc) and fill in the chart for all four schools). That might help crystallize and sort out all the information that tends to get jumbled up after many months of this process 🙁

good luck, and let us know if you find out interesting things about any of your choices...it might help someone here later who applied to those schools...

 

[megkudos]

Though I have never seen any of these schools doesn't Temple have the best clinical experience of all these choices? That's a huge factor for me but may not be for everyone.

 

[A. Caveman]

hey. it's not that i wake up on the wrong side of the bed. it's that some questions are just annoying. anybody that's interviewed at a school has probably done some research and learned a lot about it. asking specific questions makes sense to me, but such an open-ended question...it doesn't seem like there's much can be benefited from it. so i sit here and read posts like this that ask similar questions day after day. after a while, i have to let out what i'm thinking. i'm not just gonna keep moving and go to some other thread. i'm gonna share my opinion. i think most people will agree with me that Lots of the questions that appera here are from abnormally worried people..like the token "i got a 38 mcat but only a 3.5 gpa...am i wasting my time people?" after reading that type of thing a couple of times, you boil over and let it out. you try to set a precedent, so that the next person doesn't repeat that mistake and realizes that with numbers like that their chances are terrific. it's a wake up call that i'm giving. and when someone doesn't read it loud and clear..i just keep giving it until it seeps through their heads.

many questions like this have been asked, and i love answering them in sarcastic ways or teasing the person..because it's a ******ed question. and because i assume that no one here's ******ed, i can only assume they're blowing smoke up their own asses.

how the hell is anyone gonna answer this guy's question? yeah bro, i think the middle one's the best for X reason. and he's gonna read that and think "hmm, caveman thinks the middle one is the best..that boosts THAT school up. let's see what school's winning now...well what did serpiente and simseema have to say...." please man! the most anyone can do is say "yeah the people at nymc seemed really nice and it looks like you'll have lots of time to study there." but what the hell good is that advice? he KNEW that!!!! and if he didn't he's a freakin ******. which i assume he's not, and so i assume he doesn't need to know that..and so i assume the purpose of this question is to stroke his own ego here. if this doesn't make sense to you...put yourself in his shoes..and ask yourself what that kind of question would help you to learn or better understand. NOTHING. if i say "yeah there's a crazy bastard named Pablo that wanders around temple in the nude shamelessly beating people over the head with french bread and wheels of cheese" would that factor into the decision. no..well that was my feeling bro, and if my feeling doesn't help you because it's too subjective, then no one else's will. you're gonna have to look at the more important objective factors (which can be found on the web) and see what your experience and gut tells you about the students and atmosphere.

my purpose here is contribute to this thread in a meaninful way, AND to clear the bullshat whenever it gets too heavy. i feel nobody else does that..and silly questions (ie. "how do you study for the mcat") that have been asked a THOUSAND times and answered already by ME and others, will keep popping up until someone says "use your head man..search for that..it's been discussed a million times." well when a question is asked that makes no sense, like this one, i jump first. as you've realized many people agree with me. sometimes it just takes one person to come out and say somethign before others that feel the same way will speak their mind. i felt like this was a bs question, so i said so.

it's not that i woke up on the wrong side, look at my other posts for that day, and you might find a really warm nice post. my mood, and response depends on the question..not on what kind of day i'm having.

i know that ONE thing i'm accomplishing for this site is eliminating silly filler questions about mcat or stats or whatever that have already been answered. i'm helping people that may not realize that a huge database with this info already exists, and i'm helping the rest on this site by clearing some of that bullsht off the street.

if you pay attention to what i write you'll realize that i'm always rational and logical in my posts. i don't say things just to say them. i'm blunt and honest...i don't play with bullsht..i kick that crap out of the way (for myself and for others).

 

[A. Caveman]

by the way..look at what the people that tried to help posted. these people did their best to post pertinent info and help out the guy here. still, read what they said and see if you think this dude didn't already realize these things. pele, saffron, and megkudos all tried to contribute, but was their advice out of the ordinary or actually helpful? it may be a nice warm motherly nipple in this guys mouth like i've said before but the advice, the words written down are things that he already knows. he should know which schools has the most clinical experience or whatever. that stuff is researched. if you made it this far, i assume you can take the next few babysteps.

wsureds, what the hell are you talking about? my situation isn't that bad. and although i'm stressed about it, my comments here have nothing to do with it. granted i'm tapping into the same anger when i let this guy have it, but i'm not writing what i write because i'm pissed about my stuff. if this question had been framed differently, it may have appeared to actually have a useful purpose, in which case i'd answered it respectfully and joyfully. i love contributing to the discussions...unless the questions are stale, or senseless. i used to think when the questions were senseless that the people asking them were senseless, but i now believe that everyone here is very smart and logical, and if a question is senseless, i look try to read between the lines. sometimes i'm wrong about my perceptions (not very often--i still feel like i'm right about this one), but when i am, i acknowledge it.

imtiaz, when people post acceptances i am happy for them. because they're not showing off. even if you get into Meharry (which in my opinion isn't very good), if you show off, it'll bother me. but if you get into meharry and just say "yey i got into meharry" i will only feel happiness for you. if you post "yey i got into harvard and jhu" i'll only be happy for you. real happy actually. but if you show off then suddenly you become a dark, creepy person in my eyes, and i'm no longer happy for you, but pissed that you got into there. you can see what i mean, i'm sure.

PS. i doubt that you wouldn't agree, but if you disagree with anything i've written here, and my case doesn't completely win you over, explain what i'm missing..because maybe others can benefit from this (maybe me too). 🙂

 

[UCLA2000]

I agree with what Caveman has said. If you look at the last posts regarding MCAT and review courses you will see that I answered them in this manner.

"I have posted very lengthy responses on this topic on other threads. Why not search for them so that we don't all have to keep reinventing the wheel everytime someone new comes along."

We should all use that phrase on topics which keep appearing every 5 days or so.

 

[otter]

Caveman, I agree with what you're saying and you are very insightful. I'm just afraid, though, that maybe not everyone is comfortable with the harsh tone. Everyone's capable of semi-inadvertently posting comments and questions without merit, from time to time. But I wouldn't want anyone here to have to feel super-conscious about not asking a dumb question every time he posts a question, because he's afraid of getting jumped all over.

 

[A. Caveman]

true. my bad fellas. it's a bad habit i think. i'll keep it a bit more professional.

still, these boards are for entertainment as well as for knowledge. it's entertaining to write funny stuff (which i do a lot), and it's equally entertaining to create a little drama (fo yo mama). nothing here's personal, even when i mess with someone it's just for entertainment.
😛 <img src="graemlins/pissy.gif" border="0" alt="[Pissy]" /> someday this monitor will fly far enough to crush that little green face.

PS. mma is right...a warm nipple in the mouth does tend to do the job for most of these posts (too bad mine are too hairy to suckle...).

 

[mma]

Perhaps those who post such questions are indecisive or insecure about their ability to make a decision. Most people care what others think of their schools--if not, we would not all be trying to get into the best school we possibly can. My guess is that this post and all similar posts stems from this--the SDNer just wants to know if other SDNers think X school is great. It may be useless information, but it may make a fellow SDNer feel good during this crazy time.

This whole application process is so random and so difficult, but so important to us, that is is easy for us to feel uncomfortable with it and insecure about ourselves every once in a while. My solution to those posts that I think are ridiculous ("Help, my MCAT is 38 and my GPA is 3.5--should I give up?") is that I don't respond to them. Everyone has the right to feel nervous about the process. Furthermore, nobody has any obligation to offer support and comfort to everyone who posts. It is a personal choice. But I do not think that we attack everyone who posts something personal that we mat find irksome or in any way stupid. Sometime it is frustrating. Oftentimes it is annoying. But we are always free to turn away from the post. Each person can feel free to be as supportive and comforting as he or she wants. I think there is room for that on SDN.

Fortunately, we can still all be happy when other SDNers have med school success. SDNers, in general, are a great, friendly, supportive bunch.

Good luck!

mma

 

[THE instiGATOR]

ashasnarf,

Hey, man! Congrats on your good fortune. You never responded to my PM. Anyway, I'll try to help as much as I can. It would be hypocritical of me to slam your original post, considering I have created a similar thread myself (USA vs USF). Sorry, Caveman, for contributing or encouraging this behavior. 🙂

Ok, I applied to three of the four schools you are asking about (Albany, EVMS & MCPHU).

Albany: Even though I hate them for rejecting me, they do have a decent school. (I don't really hate them. Wait, yeah I do. 😀 ) We interviewed on the same day, so I don't know if I can be of much help. I did, however, go to lecture with the med students and stayed overnight with a couple of them. Here's what I've gathered: (1) The classrooms are pretty bad, but they will be renovating. Professors rotate out during the day, and students stay planted in the rooms (they have a 1st year and 2nd year lecture hall). (2) They have just begun performing heart transplants. Not many schools in the country do this, so it may be important to you if cardio is your thing. (3) The med students that I talked to said that if you have cheaper options, go for them instead of Albany. Nobody seemed thrilled with the school. (4) This may be the same as 3 but here goes...$34,000/yr...need I say more?!? (5) Oh yeah! Almost forgot this last one. They have a system based curriculum. Initially, you might think this is great. Most of the students I talked with, however, thought it was essentially worthless.

EVMS: I'll be interviewing with them in February, so I don't have any first-hand info to give you yet. Personally, I would pick this school over the others. You need to ask yourself if you are ok with their lack of boundaries. Would you like to attend "the university without walls"? Because they don't have a single university hospital, I imagine you will need a car. Do you have one? Are you willing to buy one? Are you a VA resident? If so, it's a pretty easy decision. I hear cost of living in Norfolk is pretty great. Have you looked into this?

MCPHU: I did not choose to visit this school, but did do a good deal of research into its program. Things I liked: the mock clinics where you can be filmed and critiqued, the option of selecting your own curriculum, the additional humanities program and the use of technology everyone speaks so positively about. Things I didn't like: the size of their incoming class and tuition rates.


I know people will disagree with me, which they are entitled to do, but you are really in no rush to come to a decision. If I were you, I would wait to see what aid each school offers. As I said before, I would choose EVMS. Feel free to withdraw from this school 😉 😛 .