BU SMED vs. Penn State/Jefferson

Pre-Med & Medical School Multiple Degree Programs
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<p>Hey everyone!! I think my final decision is going to come between these two programs, so if anyone can shine some light on which they would choose and why, it would be greatly appreciated. Here's my current list of pros and cons:</p>

<p>Location: BU is obviously the better town, in terms of clinical and shadowing opportunities. It's also much more a college town, which I love. I'm outside of NYC, so Penn State and Philly are closer to home (4 and 2 hours away, respectively), whereas Boston is 5 hours away, which is a bit of a hike.</p>

<p>Cost: Penn State with the summers and BU with the scholarship will both come out to about $50k a year, though BU is for 3 years and Penn State is for 2. BU also has a 12 week summer session which would be an additional cost. </p>

<p>Time: I know I want to specialize and I know I want a family in the future, so personally, I like the idea of doing it all in 6 years. Though if I go to Penn State for this and feel I need to drop back due to the new MCAT, I may as well have gone to BU for the prestige and the location. </p>

<p>Enthusiasm: I don't really know what to call this, but all of the people at PSU/Jeff seem ecstatic to be there, whereas those at BU were less so. That said, students in both programs seem happy with their decision to attend and all the members of both programs seem close to each other, which I like. </p>

<p>Curriculum: The curriculum in both programs is actually very similar– extremely science-y with a choice in a non-science minor. I would minor in Economics. That said, BU has more room for humanities classes, but that's simply because it's one more year than Penn State. I would happily forgo those classes in exchange for a year less of school. </p>

<p>Study abroad: With careful planning, a semester study abroad can actually be done at Penn State, even with the 6 year track. I have a friend doing it. BU is trying to cut back on study abroad because of the new MCAT, so it would have to now be done over a summer, if at all. So both are equal in terms of study abroad. </p>

<p>Does anyone have information on average USMLE Step 1 scores and residency placements of program students in each program? I feel that this info might be helpful in deciding in terms of preparation for residency, but I'm not even sure if the stats exist. </p>

<p>So anyone who has an opinion, please let me know! Thanks in advance! </p>

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<p>Also, the MCAT requirement is currently the same for both programs (a 30) but is bound to change by the time I take it. Also, the GPA requirement is 3.2 at BU and 3.5 at Penn State, but I think that the rigor required to maintain these grades is about equal because BU has more grade deflation than Penn State. So this isn’t really a factor in my decision. </p>

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<p>@starlight27 - First, congratulations on getting admitted to BU and Penn St/Jefferson. These are top notch BA/MD programs. Your decision either way will not be wrong professionally.
I suggest you also weigh in non-academic factors (that you have hinted at in your original posting).</p>

<p>Would you like to basically stay in the same town for 7 years or would you rather be in one place for 2 or three years and then pack up and relocate to another place for the next four years? Will you miss the student culture of Boston more or will you miss the “small town campus” setting of Penn state more? </p>

<p>If my D were in this situation, I would have recommended her to join BU. I believe Boston has more of an International flavor (both city and university) - which I like. </p>

<p>Anyway, good luck in making a decision. You will not go wrong either way. </p>

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<p>BU…absolutely and I’ll tell you why! If per chance you get involved with any research, you have the continuity and longitudinal facility of a University from undergrad thru medical school thru (?)(residency/PhD/etc) along with the availability of Harvard/MIT! The resources are all BU and there are NO conflicts of interest AND the campuses(med and UG) are connected by shuttle…I did a summer RISE program at BU. You could easily do an 8 year study and more. Boston is a great college town as you have suggested. PSU/JEFF good as well but the large picture possibilities at BU are very real and in play…best of luck!</p>

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<p>Late2Party- Thank you so much for your input! It seems like BU really does have more opportunities, and the activities I get involved in would be more feasible to continue for several years. </p>

<p>@dumich- Thanks!! What exactly do you mean by “No conflicts of interest”? </p>

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<p>conflicts…lets say you started some research/study at Penn State…when it comes time to go to Jefferson, Penn State might not want to see a valuable pursuit fall into another University’s hands. At BU, its all in house, both undergrad and medical school can share the upside of your hard work…continuity of resource/assets/benefit under the same roof…no conflict BU/BU!</p>

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<p>@dumich- Thank you for the clarification! That’s an interesting point to consider. I really do like the idea of being able to continue research in one place for several years-- it makes for a pretty strong residency application too! Thanks for the info :)</p>

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<p>best of luck to you starlight27…your kindness and humility speak to your character and good things will come your way. </p>

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<p>Were you able to find out the reasons why the students at BU were unhappy?</p>

<p>If you are interested in pursuing more competitive specialties than primary care (IM, Peds, etc.) then you will have to do research. It’s probably easier to participate in a clinical research project, when your medical school (BUSM) is in the same city. It’s more difficult to complete a clinical research project started at PSU when you then have to move to Jefferson, about 3 hours away.</p>

<p>Also, to my understanding BU is true Pass/Fail in the first 2 years of medical school, unlike Jefferson, which I believe to be Honors/Pass/Fail. This will be key to being able to study for USMLE Step 1.</p>

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<p>@Roentgen- It isn’t that BU students are unhappy, just that PSU/Jeff students are really gung-ho about the program. And yeah, the facts you cited are definitely the major pull points of BU. They also have an amazing match list. Do you think that Honors/Pass/Fail really makes it harder to do well on the USMLE Step 1?</p>

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<p>If anything, the DISCIPLINE and RIGOR of regular preparation during those first two years should, in fact, be preparing you for STEP 1. I would rather be kept on my toes…the more thorough and comprehensive the initial learning experience, the more likely one is to EXCEL on that exam…I say BRING IT ON… :smiley: 8-} </p>

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<p>Haha @dumich that’s what I was thinking ;)</p>

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<p>That’s very unusual that they aren’t “gung-ho” about their program. Maybe they had better options and are regretting it now.</p>

<p>@starlight27, You’ll see very quickly that, unlike undergrad, how one does on professor-made multiple choice exams, isn’t necessarily indicative of how much knowledge you gained or well how you do on USMLE Step 1, in which the test questions are standardized.</p>

<p>Grading in the first 2 years makes students unnecessarily neurotic and competitive with each other for class rank, with no real added benefit. There’s a reason why top-tier medical schools and even those in the middle tier have all switched over to a P/F system in the first 2 years. The last thing you want to be doing is worrying about striving for “Honors” in a class at the same time that you’re busting tail to crush the USMLE Step 1.</p>

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<p>@Roentgen- Hm that makes sense! Thank you so much for the input! I appreciate it :)</p>

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<p>Hi starlight27! Sorry we didn’t seem that gung-ho…a lot of us are really stressed since it’s midterms week! Talk to us again in two weeks and you’ll see that we really do love the SMED program!</p>

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<p>Boston is a GREAT TOWN…BU is GREAT UG SCHOOL…BU is a GREAT MEDICAL SCHOOL…how much better can it be ANYWHERE ??? </p>

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<p>@saxplayer123- Thanks for the input!! Good luck on midterms-- I’m sure you’ll do fab! </p>

<p>@dumich- haha you’re too funny. I feel sad giving up a 6 year track- you can do a lot with an extra year. </p>

<p>I appealed for more merit aid at BU (specifically for the National Merit Finalist award as I put BU down as my 1st choice and they didn’t offer me money for it). If I get it, I think I’m going to BU. Thanks for the input everyone! </p>

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<p>A few weeks ago I was reading the memoir of Deepak Chopra and Sanjeev Chopra. I saw Boston referred to as the ‘Mecca of Medicine’ by Sanjeev Chopra’s colleagues some 30 years ago.</p>

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<p>Congrats @starlight27 for your admission. Would you please share your stats ? or if have shared them at some other thread, please mentioned the link. </p>

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<p>@Dildil-- I still have two programs to hear back from so I will post later this week or next week. If you look in my recent posts though, I posted my stats for a few schools. Just click on my profile and then “Replies” on the left menu column. The first few are all on decisions threads.</p>

<p>Thanks for everyone’s input! I’m going to officially decide after accepted students days. :)</p>