<p>I saw that someone else had made a similar thread and thought it was a great idea. I am currently in my final year of medical school at Jefferson, and was part of the six year program. I would love to answer any questions you guys have about the program, the two schools, the interview day, or anything else that needs answering. Ask away! :)</p>
<p>hey! i’m going to be interviewing for the psu/jeff program and was wondering how the whole interview process was like and if they asked any specific questions besides the usual about why program, why medicine, tell me about you stuff. also, there’s a informal meet/greet thing the night before the interview day and i was wondering whether you would suggest going to that? how did you like the program overall and why did you choose it (vs. other schools or other programs)? thanks, sorry that was a lot of questions xD</p>
<p>Hi there! I’m up really late tonight, so I might as well try to answer some of your questions. From what I remember about my faculty interview six years ago (I am so old…), it was pretty informal. I didn’t get asked any difficult questions and just had a nice conversation with my interviewer. However, I think there is some variability among interviewers, so be prepared with your usual interview answers and make sure you can speak a length about anything on your r</p>
<p>thanks so much! psu/jeff is one of my top choices right now and i’d love to hear more about your experience in the program and why you chose it. :)</p>
<p>To answer your last question, I’m still really glad I made the decision to accept when I was senior in high school six years ago. Penn State was a lot of fun, but I also got a lot out of it academically. And two years was enough, I didn’t feel like I missed out by not staying all four years. I did have friends who felt they needed more time at Penn State; thankfully, the program allows you to stay an extra year or two if you feel like you need to. That flexibility was always a great comfort to me.</p>
<p>I did apply to other programs as well, but my top two choices were always the Penn State program and the RPI/Albany Medical 7-year program. At the end of the day, I chose Penn State for a number of reasons. I wanted to go to a big school so I could get that quintessential college experience. I also like the idea of saving another year, 6 instead of 7. Most important, I didn’t want to be obligated to do research as an undergraduate, which is a requirement for the RPI program. You will probably have competely different criteria for ultimately choosing a college or program but I thought I’d give you an idea of what I was thinking.</p>
<p>Jefferson is a wonderful medical school. I know residency is really far down the line, but most of the graduates from the BS/MD program do exceptionally well when it comes to residency placement. You have to work really hard, being in the program is not enough to get you into your dream residency. But Jefferson has the ability to get you where you want to be if you utilize what you are given.</p>
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<p>Apparently I can’t send PMs yet, so if you have a question, just post it here. Or PM me and I’ll post it here anonymously.</p>
<p>"Hi Elysias</p>
<p>thank you so much for helping out. I have a quick question - were you in the Schreyer college during your Penn State days? Is the honor college aligned with the 6 yr program? </p>
<p>Did Penn State give Merit Scholarship to you (or your classmates in the Jefferson program). What about RPI/AMC? Was this an important consideration for your selection of PSU over RPI?</p>
<p>thanks"</p>
<p>Hey! So you can’t be in Schreyer while you’re also in the 6-year program. Progs (as we’re called) actually get many of the advantages of honors college students - scheduling priority, honors college housing, etc. Not sure if they make exceptions for 7- or 8-year students, you would have to ask someone in administration.</p>
<p>I did not get any scholarships from PSU or Jeff, nor did most other people. There is actually one scholarship at Jefferson for progs. Basically, one person in each class is chosen, based on merit and financial need, to receive a scholarship for half tuition for their four years in medical school. It’s amazing for the person who gets it, but not at all something you could bank on.</p>
<p>At any rate, it was kind of irritating, because a lot of other four year colleges and other programs were giving me money. I think I was set to get a lot of money from RPI, which was certainly hard to give up. However, I thought Jefferson was a more well-known school in a great location, and I thought PSU would be a really amazing experience, so I chose that route. There is no right or wrong answer, and everyone has a different financial situation, but if you have the ability to not worry as much about money, go with the program that makes you happy, not the one that’s the best deal. :)</p>
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<p>@Eliyase
Thanks for your post. I am quite surprised that PSU is so stingy with merit scholarship - OOS fees are quite high. </p>
<p>In a 6 year prorgram, do you save 2 years worth of tuition fees to PSU or do you still end up paying for all four years?</p>
<p>This may seem a bit forward, but are your parents doctors? I am just wondering because a few people have told me that they ask whether or not your parents are doctors. And the application asks if your parents are Jefferson alumni.</p>
<p>@matrix007, PSU is not good about offering very many scholarships/financial aid. You can be eligible for a $2,000/year scholarship if you put Penn State as a top choice once you get National Merit Finalist but otherwise there aren’t any easy ones to land. If you’re on the 6 year track, you pay for the two years plus at least one summer so you do end up saving about two years of cost over someone who completes their full four years at psu.</p>
<p>@risubu, It is quite possible that you’ll be asked whether or not your parents are doctors as many med schools want to get an idea of your motivations of becoming a doctor. That said, whether or not your parents are doctors shouldn’t significantly change chances of admissions but it might change the interviewer’s line of questioning. There are many students in these types of programs whose parents are doctors.</p>
<p>@risubu, I’m not going to answer personally, but there’s a huge mix in the program. Some have two parents who are doctors, some have one, and just as many have zero. It has little, if any, bearing on the final decision. Jefferson does value legacy - however, this can only help you. Not having Jefferson alumni in your family is not going to detract from your application. </p>
<p>Honestly, the question is often asked as a way of gauging how much influence your parents had (read: parental pressure) in getting you interested in medicine at such a young age. I think it’s an unfair question in many respects, but that’s likely the thought behind it. FWIW, no one at Jefferson asked me that question.</p>
<p>This is a wonderful thread! Thank you for offering your help. </p>
<p>I’m going to be interviewing soon, and was wondering if you had any tips for the interview days or remember some of the questions that they ask to help us prepare.</p>
<p>Could some one share their experience from the Jefferson interview last year? Thanks.</p>
<p>Elysias,
I will be applying to this program this fall and had a few questions. If you don’t mind disclosing, what were your ACT/SAT scores, your GPA (unweighted and weighted), and some of your other achievements? I simply want to gauge my scores to see if they are similar. Also, with the six year program, did you have to attend both summers in the two years or just one of the summers? Thank you for your help.</p>
<p>How rough were the summer schedules?</p>
<p>I have some knowledge about the Jefferson program, so I’ll answer what I can. Summer session for most kids in the program is very enjoyable and relaxing. It eases them in to school, and they generally have no issues with it. The fact that there’s a summer session should not be a deterrent to applying/attending unless you’ll be severely deprived without a free summer. Some kids choose to stay for second summer, but most students do not. People do second summer either because they didn’t have enough AP credit coming in, or want to take harder classes that are generally easier in summer. Regarding the interview, it is relatively short/rushed. There are two interviews-- a 15 min. interview with a student in the med program and a 30 min. interview with a physician. In the student interview the key is to be social and give honest answers. They ask stuff like what you do for fun and will likely throw in the why med so be genuine. The physician interview is pretty short and rushed so they ask the most standard questions like why med and also talk about your experiences. Generally not much time to delve outside of that. Because these interviews are short it’s all about making a great impression. Good luck guys!</p>
<p>Are there any downsides to doing an accelerated program vs. going to medical school the traditional route? (Stress, social life, getting involved in school community, etc.)
Also, what other schools did you look at before deciding on Penn State/ Jefferson?</p>
<p>The downsides to a medical program are the following: Less prestigious universities, less flexible curriculum and perhaps a more segregated social experience (both within the undergrad and med school but this is mostly by choice.) Ultimately, if there is absolutely no doubt about medicine, there is almost no reason to go the traditional route unless you value prestige a lot or want to pursue a random field for which you’d need the flexibility of four years. Generally, students in penn state/jeff are much less stressed than pre-meds in a top school. Also, the program does not prevent you from engaging in the school community to its fullest. Effectively, the students make the most of their two years because they have the freedom to do so. I’m speaking on behalf of a friend in the program but he looked at other med programs (like Boston 7yr, Miami 7yr, etc.) and normal undergrad schools (Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Penn, etc.) before choosing Penn State/Jeff and he does not regret the choice.</p>
<p>Is it common for admitted students in the PSU/Jeff program to take the 7-year route? I have seen that both a 6-year and 7-year route is offered, but everywhere that I have looked refers to it as a 6-year program.</p>
<p>In general, in a class of 25 there will only be around 2-3 people who opt to do the 7yr track. The vast majority stick with 6 yr which is why it is probably referred to as a 6 yr program everywhere. If you’re tight with your class, you’ll want to stick with them and not fall a year behind.</p>
<p>DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE INTERVIEW PROCESS? WHAT TO WEAR? WHAT TO EXPECT? Sorry, I’m just really nervous for the interview next week</p>